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- 03/02/2022
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
ARROW - 6. Chapter 6
Armand’s classes involved:
The actual painting.
Mixing of various materials and paints.
Critiquing known painters, the Masters.
He favored artists like DaVinci over Dali, and he preferred reality rather than cubism. He could understand what this artist tried to convey, but for him, the painting was a portrayal of nature, a snapshot to be immortalized in oils on canvases.
With the money he made selling his paintings, Armand spent his summers touring the great art galleries, the TATE in England, the Louvre, Prado, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. There he found one of his paintings. He was surprised, but he also felt a sense of pride.
He completed his BFA at Carnegie and enrolled at Yale to earn his MFA degree. This was a big step for Armand as he now had to compete with top artist students. GG told him not only would he survive, but new doors would be opened to him. What she meant was beyond Armand’s understanding, and he accepted her advice and input since he had total faith in her guidance. After all, she hadn’t failed him.
So with a positive attitude, he started Yale. The first few weeks were devoted to lectures and composition. The students were shown photos of paintings and were asked for their comments. Armand liked some of the photos, and he wrote why and those he didn’t, his critiques indicating how he would have painted that picture. What he didn’t realize, he would be given that opportunity.
After the first six weeks, the class moved to a large area designed for painting. Bright lights, easels, and stools were set up in a semi-circle pattern around a small stage. For the next six weeks, Armand was given those paintings he had criticized and instructed to paint them as he would, in other words, put your critique on canvas.
Armand thought this was a great idea. He could better explain his comments through his painting. His professor walked around the room, watching and making comments when appropriate. Armand noticed he was watching him more than the others. He knew some had earned their BFA’s at Yale and decided that the professor just wanted to see what he could do since he was new.
Besides the actual painting, his professor held a lecture series every Friday afternoon. At these meetings, new techniques were discussed. A critique followed these meetings. A photograph of one of the original paintings was shown on the screen, followed by adverse comments, and then the new painting was shown, followed by a critique from the students. Armand was surprised to see his painting reflecting his comments on the original painting that was being shown. He listened carefully to his classmates’ comments, which weren’t all favorable. The class was divided between those who preferred the original versus Armand’s painting.
Over the semester, Armand had the opportunity to offer his comments. Some of the students became slightly agitated when Armand made his comments known. He was direct, saying he liked or disliked the revised painting. One of the students took the class’s critiques as a reflection on himself rather than on his painting. Armand learned not to be so direct but to make positive suggestions as if he had painted that picture. This approach permitted a discussion, allowing each artist not to feel threatened by Armand’s comments.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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