Abstract: Copying is a human instinct, and artistic copying reflects personal interests and pursuit of artistic expression. This article discusses the teaching of oil painting copying from several aspects such as the role of copying, the concept of copying, and matters that students should pay attention to when copying.

Keywords Oil painting copying teaching Copying meaning Copying concept Copying requirements

CLC classification number: G424 Document identification code: A

Oil painting is a kind of Western culture Characteristic plastic arts. There are many ways for us to learn it, but copying is one of the effective ways, especially for beginners of oil painting.

Throughout history, most famous painters attach great importance to copying and studying the works of masters, so as to gain artistic and visual experience, become familiar with the basic laws of color, and find their own expression techniques. , transform yourself from an imitator to a successful creator. For example, the famous painter Rubens learned colors from Titian through copying and momentum and sculpture texture from Michelangelo during his eight-year study tour in Italy, which helped him achieve brilliant achievements in art. laid the foundation. More than 100 years ago, copying famous works was a necessary stage in the training of painters. At that time, no one would doubt the importance of learning from ancient masters. Today, although some students will look down upon this, learning the color language and expression techniques of ancient masters is still the simplest and most effective way to train students' eyesight and techniques. Many art students in China have mastered and become familiar with the master's painting procedures and color techniques through copying, and have created many influential paintings, making the world look at Chinese oil paintings with admiration. For example, the contemporary painter Guo Weixin was inspired to find his own painting language after studying Balthus's painting art, and created a series of influential landscape paintings.

In the oil painting teaching of art majors in non-art colleges, some people usually think that students’ imitation will hinder the improvement of basic painting skills; they are afraid that students will imitate the master’s color language and expression language in their homework, which will hinder their individuality. development; and likes to encourage everyone to "use their own eyes to observe objective objects." But it is indeed too difficult for a beginning oil painting student to really observe objects with his own eyes, and for a person who has not yet found his own unique painting language. Some obedient students are still blindly loyal to their own eyes and lack research on the formal factors of painting itself. They have no desire and interest in imitating. They gradually become passive when sketching, being stuck in the past and lacking the ability to adapt. On the contrary, students who show a strong willingness to imitate in their studies have stronger abilities. They have a strong interest in painting, are proactive in learning, have a wide range of professional interests, and improve their painting ability quickly. It can be imagined that when a lower-grade student paints water scenes in the south of the Yangtze River, if he is interested in the Impressionist Sisley and studies it until he imitates his works, such as "The Flood of Marley Port", what inspiration will he get? First of all, he can paint reflective water and clouds with strong brushstroke interest. Then he had a new knowledge and understanding of the subtle relationship between color layers and brushwork. Perhaps he also had a new understanding of the structure, composition of the picture, the space of the picture, the coloring of the picture and other factors, as well as the spirit of Chinese classical aesthetics - "One is worth ten, I have gained some insights from the small things. A person who advocates realism may thus master the ability of accurate depiction, and may also get twice the result with half the effort.

Copying is undoubtedly an effective learning method. Understanding the path that every successful person has taken, it is not difficult to find that their footsteps more or less step on the footsteps of their predecessors that they admire. As for individuality, the destination of this artistic pursuit can only be obtained by going step by step in this way. Pan Tianshou, a famous Chinese master, believes: "Painting is an academic discipline, so those who practice it must follow the path of the ancients, accept their acquired experience and methods, lay a solid foundation for the new, and then move forward to a new future." Therefore, copying is an indispensable lesson for beginners of oil painting. In the process of copying teaching, students are allowed to gradually understand the language of oil painting and gradually form the prototype of their own oil painting language. What is copying? Copying, also known as "copying", includes two different learning methods: copying and copying. Copying and copying each have different learning effects. Li Rihua in the Ming Dynasty said: "Get the power by looking at it, and get the shape by imitating it."

The purpose of copying is not to make the painting exactly the same as the original painting, but to analyze, study and understand the use of ancient painting brushwork, shape and composition, color rules, painting interest and origin evolution during the painting process, so as to get inspiration from it and absorb the techniques of the ancients. and creative experience, and finally form your own style.

However, it does not mean that those who copy will be successful. A person's success depends mostly on his or her own quality. As for the method or copying object, if the method or copying object is chosen improperly, it will naturally delay the future. Therefore, how to copy is a very important issue for beginners of oil painting. I believe that students should do the following four points in copying teaching:

(1) Choose appropriate templates. After providing solid basic technical training to lower-level students, students should be guided to identify a master painter they particularly like according to the professional syllabus, and use their representative works as models for copying. For example: for landscape paintings, you can choose Corot's "Memories of Montefontaine", Monet's "Impression Sunrise", Bonnard's "Table and Courtyard", etc.; for portraits, you can choose Repin's "The Volga River". "Tracker", Van Gogh's "Doctor Gachet", etc.; still life paintings can be selected: Cézanne's "Fruit with Porcelain Cup", Gissi's "Dry Sunflower", Norse "Tranquility", etc. When choosing a template, you must choose excellent works by famous painters, because the works of famous people have unique artistic styles, vivid images, and have achieved high attainments in brush use, coloring, and composition. For example, Monet's "Impression Sunrise" depicts the Algiers harbor. The port is filled with morning mist, floating patches of lavender and orange. The slightly red sky is dyed with various colors. A three-leaf canoe goes out to sea in the gentle waves. In the distance, there are chimneys of factories on the horizon, cranes on giant ships, and working people. People...are vaguely visible. Monet was also very particular about his brushwork. At first glance, the painting seems rough and messy. But look closely and you will see that these strokes are long or short, thick or thin. The slanted brushstrokes expand into the distance, while the condensed brushstrokes make the water waves appear turbulent and lively. The figures on the boat were vague, as if they were melting into the fog, and seemed to be swaying with the waves. Monet's precise grasp of rich colors, bold outlines of lines and overall control make people feel that what he created is a fleeting time, as if everything around him is flickering, flowing and spreading. Therefore, when choosing works to copy, you must choose excellent works and abandon those that are vulgar and low-grade. Otherwise, the style of the works you learn will be lower, which will affect the growth of students. As the saying goes: "The teacher who is a teacher is a teacher who is a disciple." That's the truth. At the same time, it should also be noted that at the beginning, it is better to choose a simple picture or a certain part of the work, and avoid choosing a panoramic work with many characters and complex scenes.

(2) Read the template thoroughly. Facing the master's works, to understand the essence of his paintings requires a process of gradual recognition. As Zhu Xi, an acting scholar of the Song Dynasty, said: "Read it a hundred times, and its meaning will appear by itself." Only after very careful study can one begin to understand the complex and subtle processes required to achieve a particular effect. For example: Vermeer's handling of light has been admired by painters and scholars of all ages, but to understand how he achieved the effect, we need to analyze his techniques. Taking "The Girl in the Red Hat" as an example, we must first note that there is a clear demarcation between the light and dark parts. Second, note that the boundary between light and dark—the “line between light and dark”—has been handled with great care and refinement. Third, pay attention to the projection area, where small details are blended into the dark haze. Fourth, on the bright side, the three-dimensional shape is simplified; the color processing is also simplified. Contour lines also constitute a means of expression. But the key to understanding Vermeer's work is his handling of highlights. The placement of highlights in the work is as precise as the highlights of jewelry, and the composition is as carefully crafted as jewelry. A drop of wet paint at the corner of the girl's mouth makes the point of light extremely noticeable. However, some of our students are not very good at reading paintings. They often take a quick look at the templates and are eager to make a rough draft. Before the draft is finished, they are eager to lay out the outlines and outlines of the drawings. The gain is definitely not big. Therefore, you must first be able to appreciate the work before you approach it. You must study the work carefully and carefully, analyze the painting procedures, modeling characteristics, brushwork, composition and coloring, etc., and find out the wonderful and distinctive features of the picture, that is, "seeking rules from divine principles." , Enlightenment of divine principles from the Dharma.” Only after quiet contemplation and pondering, with a confident mind, can you gain greater rewards from the works you draw.