Painting Techniques of the Masters: Painting Lessons from the Great Masters, Revised and Enlarged Edition [Hardcover]

Hereward Lester Cooke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1972

Published in cooperation with the National Gallery of Art, and written by its Curator of Painting, this is an essential work for painters, teachers, students and art lovers who want to understand the methods by which great paintings have been created.

One hundred masterpieces from the National Gallery...each superbly reproduced in color, full page size...offer the reader unique lessons in painting techniques. Detailed captions, diagrams, and closeups of significant sections of every painting explore the specific methods the artists used to create each masterpiece, focusing on the function of line, three-dimensional form, space, color, design, brushwork, and technical procedures.

Practice exercises are included in many lessons to teach the reader to apply, and recognized, the varied techniques of the masters. The reader will find landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still lifes, and figures by the greatest masters of Western painting: Leonardo, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian, Goya, Velasquez, El Greco, Rembrandt, Rubens, Durer, Vermeer, Bruegel, Ingres, Poussin, Corot, Renoir, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, Courbet, Monet, Gauguin, Turner, Constable, Gainsborough, Homer and Picasso, all in one volume.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications; Revised & enlarged edition (January 1, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823038637
• ISBN-13: 978-0823038633
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profound text allowed to languish out of print!!, September 29, 2001

By 

David Lovegrove (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting Techniques of the Masters: Painting Lessons from the Great Masters, Revised and Enlarged Edition (Hardcover)

I am an artist who has persued the knowledge of classical drawing and painting, (as well as the joys of modern art)for at least a decade, and I believe that along with Robert Beverley Hales masterworks, this great book by Hereward Cooke is one of the most profound I have ever encountered.
It is not one of the typical "how to" art tuition books so prevalent now,those that are really just a sort of long winded advertisement for the artist/writer (and sad to say, often a very embarassing and mediocre ad at that).
This book is not for the hobby painter who just wants a pretty effect. This is a serious and profound study of the thousands of ideas , both simple and subtle, that painters have developed over umpteen generations, and which in the 20th century were almost lost to us. But this is the 21st Century!! Lets learn to match inspiration with inspired technique and understanding. Watson and Guptill really should reprint this gem, REALLY!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an amazing book, May 31, 2006

By 

Wyota - See all my reviews

This review is from: Painting Techniques of the Masters: Painting Lessons from the Great Masters, Revised and Enlarged Edition (Hardcover)

I bought this book based on several recommendations that it is a "life changer." Well, it may not be a life changer, but it sure changed my understanding of painting. It starts out with a brief but amazingly insightful discussion of principles (color, line, form, etc.) that influence paintings and their composition. The remainder of the book is page after page of quality images of master paintings where the author indicates and discusses how these principles were used. I'd rate this the best book of its type I have ever read. PS - The revised edition (1972) has more color plates and larger images than the earlier one (says the jacket).

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Paint, March 29, 2006

By 

Woodshed (new york, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Painting Techniques of the Masters: Painting Lessons from the Great Masters, Revised and Enlarged Edition (Hardcover)

I have the original "Painting Lessons from the Great Master." It is better for a number of reasons. For one thing it is larger. This is one of the truly good books on seeing and learning to paint. It is worth its weight in gold. J. Carter Brown doesn't spout out alot of mumbo jumbo that intimidates the "I can't draw a straight line' crowd; which is all of us. He is enormously generous with his profound knowledge of art; not like so many pundit/curator types. I truly love this book. I have read it dozens of times, everytime learning something new. If you can get the older version - 1968!