What do you mean by Plein
Air?
Plein air painting was popular
in the
Today plein air painters paint with the same restrictions the masters
impressionist of the 1800's had to deal with. There are some painters today that
use digital photo image to enable them to produce an attractive painting which
they couldn't achieve without, and refer to themselves as Plein Air Painters. They are cheating them selves and their patrons. You
might use an analogy like someone riding a bus during a marathon. The bus
rider may arrive at the finish line with full glory, yet his talent is far below the
sweaty dedicated world class runner who puts in his time and dedication. A
talented plein air painter will paint circles around the bus rider! Sadly, it is
sometimes difficult for the uneducated viewer to see at first, and some judges
have difficulty knowing whose work is the strongest, unless they have put in
time them selves to learn to see simply, they often miss what is truly important. This
is also true with studio work. The artist that chooses to paint from photo
images or project the image on the painting surface instead of drawing it free
hand, suffers the same fate as the pretend plein air painter. Even most of the
current plein air competitions allow ways for a artist to again (ride
the bus) without people or judges knowing. It would be ideal if they could have
some ways of monitoring the artist so they can't go hide somewhere with the laptop
and paint from a digital image they have just taken and enter it in a plein air
competition, sometimes robbing the award from someone more deserving. The work
of talented artists who truly paint plein air, and paint with honesty will be
at the top of the collectors and Museum curator’s lists, when the fog blows
away or when the smoke clears. A couple of artist you might like to look at and
study to recognize talent are: John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla. Velázquez
would be a good one to focus on also. With the art world as it is today it is
difficult for most students and collectors to know who to follow. They are at
the mercy of their educators. And if their educators are miss guided, then so
are his students and so on.
Give it your best, Steven Heward