Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Courbet ~ Palette Knife Wielding Artist


Gustave Courbet was not only handsome – he was also rebellious. And not just in politics as Amy mentioned yesterday. He was always looking for some way to set himself apart from others. And that included how he applied paint to the canvas. Everyone else used a brush. But Courbet at some point took the paint directly from his palette to the canvas with his knife. Others just used that knife for mixing the paints. This was a radical move on his part but led to many others to do the same – all of the moderns, including Picasso, Pollack and Richter. For an understanding of how Courbet used his palette knife and the amazing effects he could create, watch the video at the Getty website that I have linked here.

Today's image is of The Wave. You'll find that the video, A Mockumentary about Gustave Courbet, is not only educational but also an "intriguing story of the man brave enough to use a pallette knife and stand against the wave of current trends". Have fun and a banner day.

1 comment:

Barry R. said...

I laughed and laughed. But most of all I learned about the palette knife wielding artist.