Painters on Paintings

Another semester is beginning, and in teaching intermediate and advanced painting students, some of which I have had in other classes, I am gathering new resources they might find interesting and applicable to their work.

This summer I finally invested in an 'old lady cart', one of those wire boxes on wheels, so I can drag the 20+ books from the library to my office.   But besides showing students painters in books, I like to give them painters to look at who might not be well known enough for a book, or too contemporary.  So I show them Beer with a Painter Interviews, Art21, Painter's Table, all the good stuff.

But I forgot about Painters on Painting, until a student wanted to make a painting of a body laying horizontally, which reminded me of Manet's Toreador, which reminded me of this essay by Camilla Fallon, which reminded me of Painters on Painting. (if you give a mouse a cookie...)

Basically each essay is by a living painter on any painting they admire and why, what they see.  I think it is so good as a painter, and useful in teaching because its written like a love letter in language that is accessible and relevant to my students. And they also see that work that initially appears different in process and style and time period is actually linked.  So it makes the case to stop looking only digitally and at work being made this second and into bizarre wings of the museum if they really want to see something radical.  Making subtle and specific links like this seems really crucial in pulling student work away from something too overt and 'contemporary looking' without any legs.  I feel an assignment coming on...