Prof. Richard Heipp (Art and Art History)
richardheipp.com
Readdressing the Classics: An Atelier, Recontextualizing the Masterpieces of Paris, through Drawing, Photography and Collage
I look at things with different eyes than I did before I began to draw.
Vincent Van Gogh (in a letter to his brother Theo regarding copying from masterworks.)
The term atelier comes from old French meaning, a workshop or studio, especially for an artist or designer. This atelier will immerse the student in the viewing and study of many of Paris's artistic masterpieces. The course will subsequently involve the students in creating reinterpretations of the artworks via their choice of drawing (following the tradition of the French salon in executing drawing from sculptural masterpieces), collage (employing the processes of Max Ernst and others), photography (following Breton and Kertez) as well as digital imaging. No previous art experience is be necessary. The class will allow student to experience the art of Paris in a very intimate and direct way, creating art from art.
"Often times in order to advance one must look back. Like technology, art is built upon what happened before and influenced by what happened around the time of its creation. Each new technical discovery and stylistic invention paves the way for the next---generating either an affirmation of what has come before or a reaction against it.
Juliette Aristides
For hundreds of years an artists practical studio education consisted of a consistent pedagogical approach to the study of the human form. The search for ideal beauty was rooted in the practice of drawing from, and studying classical sculptural masterpieces. For centuries artists traveled to Paris in order to engage in this activity. It was a common practice of the academic training of the French Salon well into the twentieth century. Students honed their observation skills, copying masterpieces before being moving on to work from life. This course attempts to resurrect and expand this practice working from, and reinterpreting the artistic masterpieces of Paris through drawing, collage, photography and digital media. Various conceptual strategies will be explored including: the classical aesthetic, Dada, collage, capturing photographic light and the decisive moment, as well as digital assemblage.
Organized excursions to many of Pariss great art institutions will include; The Louvre, Pompidou Center, Musse dOrsay, Museum of Modern Art, Picasso Museum, Rodin Museum, Monet Museum, Brancusis Studio, the Museum of European Photography as well as visits to Versailles, and Giverny. The class strives to rebuild the links between masterpieces of the past and our artistic future.
