Sunday, October 9, 2011

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Dancers at the Barre (after Degas)

Dancers at the Barre      Edgar Degas ca. 1900
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/arts/dance/degass-ballet-at-the-phillips-collection-and-royal-academy.html?pagewanted=2&ref=dance
Here is the original painting by Degas.

Dancers at the Barre     Al Doyle 2011

Done on the iPad, this "digital finger painting" mimics the loose handling and sketch-like application of paint of the original Degas painting.




Saturday, August 27, 2011

Dancers in Blue (after Degas)

I recently returned from Paris where several late paintings and pastels by Degas at the Musée d'Orsay knocked me out.

Towards the end of his life Degas was losing his eyesight, as a result his artistic process loosened up. Towards the very end, he painted in very broad strokes: smudging the oil paints directly on the canvas with his palm and fingers. Prompted by this insight, I was inspired to copy several late Degas paintings using the iPad Brushes App billed as “digital finger painting”.
Dancers in Blue (after Degas)          Al Doyle, 2011
The video below shows the progression of the drawing from start to finish.

This exercise in copying aims to demonstrate the usefulness of the iPad as an aid in teaching the basics of drawing and painting. One of the truly revolutionary aspects of the Brushes App is the ease of use. Drawing with you finger provides an artist with direct control not afforded by other digital paint applications.


Two Versions of Dancers by Degas

Here is the Degas painting:

Dancers in Blue - Art Den

Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
Dancers, Pink and Green
ca. 1890
Oil on canvas
From the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, the version above is similar to the painting at the Musee d'Orsay with an added dancer on the left.









Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Dancers Adjusting Their Dresses (after Degas)

Dancers Adjusting Their Dresses (after Degas)          Al Doyle, 2011





I found the Degas original image on a Flickr slide show. I am looking for specific information of the provenance of the painting by Degas.




Shiva as Lord of the Dance

Metropolitan Museum http://www.metmuseum.org
Shiva as Lord of Dance (Shiva Nataraja)
India (Tamil Nadu), Chola period
late 12th–early 13th century
Metropolitan Museum

Buddha Drawing in progress


This sketch was done in about 14 minutes sketching at the Metropolitan Museum.

Standing Buddha
Thailand
15th century