Massachusetts College of Art and Design - Palette and Pen Yearbook (Boston, MA)

Page 23 text:

Is there anything that requires more study, prac- tice and observation, than painting the human figure? We see people all the time, but just seeing is not enough for those of us who want to paint good portraits or interesting compositions. After we realize and begin to look for the beauty which is around us, we have entered the greatest institution of learning that this world provides. Nature is our teacher, and the subject is life. Our capacity for observation grows with the progress we make in stating and studying by means of paint, charcoal, or any other medium we use. It is interesting and surprising to see more clearly familiar faces and objects which have been in front of us all our lives. A fact not due to eyesight, but to our outlook which has been sharpened. Things which were never seen before flash out clear and brilliant against the dark background of unseen facts, and as the complete mastery of every fact is impossible, this background remains with us always. Art seems to me to be the result of man’s attempt to create or paint his impression, as seen through nature, on canvas. It is our own interpretation which is valuable, although the knowledge gained from the painters before us help us master our medium. The steps upon which we climb to reach our goal were built by the old masters. Nature is our guide up the stairway which leads toward finding and stating our true emotions. Good paintings are precious because of the personal manner in which the subject has been interpreted. I do not mean to stress technique. Take, for instance, the work of Millet who painted life as he saw it, putting thoughts on the canvas with his soul. I think that the main thing when majoring in the drawing and painting course is the love of the work. We need to have these three, “faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.” By Beatrice MacFarland