UnMasterclass 7

"You see, painting has now become, or all art has now become completely a game, by which man distracts himself. What is fascinating actually is, that it's going to become much more difficult for the artist, because he must really deepen the game to become any good at all."
Francis Bacon

"You could say that I have no inspiration, that I only need to paint."

Francis Bacon


Here at UnMasterclass we are not really into deepening our game and inspiration is often in short supply, which is perhaps goes some way as to explaining why the paintings come out as they do. One of the big guns of the 20th Century comes under the UnMasterclass watchful eye this week and ends up not looking too far away from the postcard the copy was painted from and a million light years away from the Bacon original. So have a look at the latest UnMasterclass here - http://vimeo.com/19872705 - and then pop along to good old Tate Britain to goggle at the original.

UnMasterclass 6

A couple of years ago I recommended a student to visit the Glenn Brown exhibition that was on at Tate Liverpool at the time. A couple of weeks later I had a tutorial with the same student and she mentioned how much she had enjoyed the exhibition and that she loved his work and brought out the exhibition booklet to draw my attention to the painting that had most inspired her Brown's The Day the World Turned Auerbach. I was somewhat surprised to learn that what she loved most of all was the thick impasto paintwork, the sumptuous ooze and materiality of the paint. I let her carry on for several minutes like this. I questioned her again as to whether she had in fact been to the show, which she assured me she had. I then asked to read a little bit about Glenn Brown in the booklet she had brought with her. I thought what gall to say she had been to an exhibition she had clearly not been too and  to not even read about an artist that she had earlier said was deeply influential to her work.
It also made me think how interesting it might be to purposely completely miss the point of paintings. the seeds of UnMasterclass was born.
The latest painting is a pretty poor copy more George Condo, than Sofonisba Anguissola.
Have a look here http://vimeo.com/19580246

UnMasterclass 5

Some may ask whether I am the pupil or the master in UnMasterclass. I am neither. Rather I am the UnMasterless seeking the guidance of past masters but learning from none.
This week a rather poor copy, but a more interesting painting than previous weeks is produced. Betraying none of the aesthetic skill or quality of Waterhouse's Pre-Raphaelite original and keeping to a quick 21st century painterly de-skill. Pop along to the Tate, the old one to see the original or follow the link to see this version http://vimeo.com/19332296

UnMasterclass 4

A new low this week with Andrew's attempt to replicate one of Fontana's slash paintings with disastrous results. 

"We think of art and failure together, however, precisely because their conjecture is one of the deep themes of modernism, one of it's commanding plots, especially in the writings of artists themselves."

Paul Barolsky

Here Bracey updates the diary and letters of the past for the video and video sharing sites of today to continue this sense of failure. Hopefully next week will see a turnaround with a more successful copy of another masterpiece. Tune back to see it. 

Meanwhile see the copy of Fontana here http://vimeo.com/19086935

UnMasterclass 3

This week Andrew steps back a few centuries to attempt a rushed version of Dieric Bouts' Virgin and Child, most of the majesty and all of the significance of the original devotional panel is completely lost in the 21st century copy. The original painting is in a private collection, like so many paintings of it's kind, however you are lucky enough that Bouts painted many versions on the theme. so why not going and find another one somewhere., they really are majestic. Tune in next week for Andrew's next copied painting.
Click here to see UnMasterclass 3 http://vimeo.com/18837384

UnMasterclass 2

The second UnMasterclass is now live and excitingly Andrew is already painting from a reproduction of a 20th Century classic, namely David Hockney's A Bigger Splash. It must be said that this is a pretty flat version of the original with little of the fizzle and pop. I recommend popping down to the Tate Britain gallery to see the original.
Tune in next week when Andrew will be on safer ground with a painting a few hundred years old rather than 50 years old.
follow the link here - http://vimeo.com/18568877

UnMasterclass 1

1/1/2011
The first UnMasterclass is up and live, please follow the link below to view.
This week Andrew paints a a pretty unconvincing version of Frans Hals- Young Man with a Skull. Your probably far better off visiting the original painting in the National Gallery in London and see how a painting should really be done.
Tune back next week for the next class.
http://vimeo.com/18346961