I just can’t seem to get enough of Russian master copies

Greetings fellow Steemians!

In this quick post I wanted to share this tiny (5” x 7”) Russian master copy I finished last night. I ended up using this small leather bound sketchbook my younger brother got me when he went to Italy this year. I absolutely love this thing!

One of the biggest attributes that I can’t seem to get enough of about Russian Classical draftsmanship, is their ability to keep structural integrity when breaking down form to such an accurately descriptive level. The values are always so strong in russian work, and to me it just seems to have this kind of vibrancy and life found nowhere else. Even when looking at a lot of luminist painter’s work out of Russia; it just feels like a breath of fresh air to me as to the nature of their methods were as though they were from an entirely different realm as compared to my own atelier training.

This little master copy felt a little different this time when compared to my usual way of working. When working on the block in for example, I ended up working a looser than usual as well as jumping further ahead by massing in the darker shapes and pushing them around like a puzzle. This work didn’t have too strong of lights, so it was much easier pulling them out with an eraser.

Please feel free to let me know what you think?

Thanks for reading Everyone!

-James Hansen
https://jameszenartist.weebly.com/