Approach your painting with your senses

art-vacation-italy-2Many years ago, during a trip to Florence, I discovered the luminous paintings by the Macchiaioli at the Gallery of Modern Art in the Palazzo Pitti and immediately felt connected to their painting approach. Since then, I always say to our Plein air painters of our art workshops in Italy, that both flourishing and accomplished artists can learn a few lessons from them.

The Macchiaioli were a group of Tuscan artists active during the 1850s, through the time of the Risorgimento (Italian unification). They first met at the Caffè Michelangiolo on via Cavour in Florence and shared similar political and artistic views. Their aim was to break from the academic tradition and experience the painting of light as it unveiled itself to their eyes by applying the “macchia,” meaning patches, or blobs, of colours. Often compared to the French impressionists, the Macchaioli preceded them by more than a decade. Also, while the French impressionists were working on the solid grounds of scientific colour knowledge, Macchiaioli’s approach was purely intuitive. The leading figures of this Italian movement were Giovanni Fattori, Giuseppe Abbati, Cristiano Banti, Odoardo Borrani, Vincenzo Cabianca, Vito d’Ancona, Silvestro Lega, Raffaello Sernesi, and Telemaco Signorini.

So, what can the Macchiaioli teach us during our painting retreats in Tuscany? First, with a few quick and candid brushstrokes we can achieve paintings full of freshness and ease. Let’s try to do that. Look at the scene, build our colour palette, let go and capture the essence of the moment.

Second, the Macchiaioli’s pictorial subjects were simple and a manifestation of their everyday life and feelings. In order for us to be authentic, we need to paint who we are and go straightforwardly to what we experience in our everyday lives: our personal stories, the issues that profoundly touch us, our strong beliefs—all these are magnificent subjects waiting to be painted. Moreover, as spectators, we see reflections of ourselves in others when we find that they live what we live.

Finally, the “macchia” technique (to juxtapose the coloured shapes dictated by the subject, lit in the same way as it is presented to the artist’s eyes) evoked atmosphere and emotion. Simply look, experience, and paint the colour unveiling in front of your eyes. For example, if your eyes see a purple tree, paint it purple; paint the colour you see, not the colour you know.  And paint it quickly, because that colour is fleeing very fast. Scoop and apply your paint—hence the word “macchia.” Approaching your canvas this way is to approach your painting “empirically”; meaning that your painting derives from the experience that you are living at any particular moment.

Certainly, a few rudiments in colour theory are essential. Also, it is important to become more aware of the reflection of the light on the objects during your daily walks. We want you to be aware; we want you to cultivate a sense of colour as did our Italians while painting the Tuscan landscape. Colours, with their endless combinations of hues, shades and tints, are simply emotions recollected in the tranquillity and serenity of the moment.

 

1 Comment

  1. Heather Wadrop

    Thank you Yves. As usual you inspire me to keep painting: and experimenting.

     
    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Who are we?

We all make art! It is part of culture. It is deeply rooted in human nature as a way of communicating with others. We all need to tell our stories because it is stories that link us all. We are all one, one creative mind! Though, all unique and equipped with unique ways of expressing ourselves. We live in constant search of that unique liberating voice. At Walk the Arts we aim to facilitate our art makers to explore new territories. Our painting classes and art history trips on three continents are meant to be rounded art experiences among small groups of like-minded adults. We offer an environment that fosters creativity. As we always say, art as religion is just a matter of faith. This blog is about living fully the experience of art, about finding our single artistic path, about the joy of art-making. We believe that making art accessible to all will lead to a betterment of our society.

Archives

Contact Us! North America and Europe

Twitter Updates

Gray a Philosophical “Color”

 

“Over the past 40 years, I’ve seen students in the process of transitioning from saturated colors to grayed ones, a sign of serious questioning about painting. As a beginner, we shy away from mixing colors, and the more we progress in our creative practice, the more daring we become. That’s life! When we’re children, we only see saturated colors, and as we get older, gray takes over. Adults realize that gray is everywhere. “The color of truth is gray” wrote the French author André Gide.”

We can face Artificial Intelligence

 

How many times were we tempted to fall into the trap of mainly teaching painting techniques now all available on the Net? Just type “How to paint an Italian Landscape” and … two million plus videos jump onto your computer screen.

A First History of NFTs

 

“I think the reason […] I’ve chosen the career that I have is because artists are always the seers or the truth tellers. They show us the way forward”. Nora Burnett Abrams, The Story of NFTs, Artists, Technology, and Democracy. P. 53

The World of NFTs!

 

I had to know if NFT art is and will be a fad or not. In Canada’s national capital (Ottawa) art world, I kept hearing that it is not going to last, it’s all smoke and mirrors, ya-ya-ya, etc. So, I entered the Palazzo Strozzi with an open mind. I saw the works, I read everything on the walls, and I came out of the exhibition thinking “It is here to stay.” From that moment, on la Via de’ Tomabuoni, I felt compelled as an art historian and art educator to embrace this new reality. Didn’t we do it for Pop Art and Conceptual Art in the late ’50s and ‘60s?

My painting workshop in Tuscany

 

Already a month since my return from a fun-filled art-learning experience in Tuscany, Italy! The workshop went far beyond what I even imagined, or hoped it would be. The roughly eight hours per day for most days of art instruction gave me a new perspective on my art: where I was and where I wanted to be, the past and the future. But, together as a group, we were living in the present.

“Perseverance” is the key to all successful artists

 

Perseverance is the key to all successful artists.

I always ask my painting students to memorize … “Until then, we will not rest or falter. Hand in hand with others thirsting for a better life, no matter how long it takes, regardless of support or persecution, we will joyfully respond to a savage need for liberation”.

Studio Italia, a painting vacation with…

 

If our art workshops focused mostly on painting techniques, then why traveling to Italy and spending money when you could stay at home and learn everything you need through the Internet for free?

Art and Neurosciences

 

When a subject becomes familiar, the brain activity shuts down like when viewing a lovely chickadee painting…

Can we talk about the neuroscience of art? This is the question that French neurobiologist Jean-Pierre Changeux addresses in his beautiful book The Beauty in the Brain or La Beauté dans le Cerveau (Odile Jacob, 2016). Prof. Changeux describes how the human brain behaves when making or contemplating a work of art. To make a long story short, he argues that the neural bases of aesthetic pleasure are the product of the link between cognitive and emotional brain functions, in other words, the harmony between reason and emotion. Moreover, he gives some tips on how artists can maximize the impact of their works on their audience.

Evolving in art is just a matter of faith; only believe!

 

We refrain from teaching painting techniques easily found on the Net. We prefer taking the necessary time (36 hours) to fully involve the participant in reflecting on her or his art — including all levels, all media […]
Rest assured that having attended one of our online classes, you will be more confident in taming the landscape in your own way while on a plein-air painting workshop.

Let Go! The Artist’s Way of Cooking


Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /home/walkth14/public_html/wp-content/plugins/rating-widget/rating-widget.php on line 3880
 

Ten years ago, here in Tuscany, we decided to write a recipe book but with so many good cookbooks in the market, we needed to propose a new idea. We had to find a modus operandi close to who we are and what we do as visual artists. The answer was in front of us and painting gave it to us: art and color!

Travelling with meaning : a painting workshop in Italy

 

More and more travellers from the developed world are looking for meaningful travels. We are aiming for journeys that allow us to learn something new, to deepen our culture, to enhance our lives. Purpose, inspiration and self-discovery are now vital elements in our traveling choices. Probably, this is why our quality painting workshops offered since 1997, have become more and more popular.

Privacy Policy