A collective exhibition of drawings and paintings of students of the Atelier of Madeleine Gera will be held at Vee Gee Bee in Republic Street, Valletta and will be open to the public from 8 to the 22 June. It is a collective exhibition by nine participants: Nadette Bugeja, Donnah Calleja, Teresa Cordina, Paul Farrugia, Daphne Pia Kelleher, Lee Roberts, BJ Sammut, Adrian Scicluna Calleja, Benjamin Van Beek.
The exhibition will present drawings and paintings that best reflect the philosophy of the Atelier, that is, academic or naturalistic painting and drawing. This is the desire to follow in the footsteps of the great masters in order to communicate with meaning in the world of today. Still life paintings, landscapes, portraits and the human figure will be represented as well as Bargue drawings and works in the sight size method.
As 19th century painter John Singer Sargent stated, “I don’t dig beneath the surface for things that don’t appear before my own eyes.”
Drawing and painting are essentially a language, a means of communication that is inherent to human beings, and as old as humanity itself. Despite widespread belief, true artists do not just happen to be born as artists any more than good lawyers or good doctors are born that way. There is no myth behind learning how to draw and paint. Rather, artists develop their skills and craft through practice and perseverance.
The Atelier approach to painting has its foundation in the guilds of the early Renaissance, where master artists transmitted a system of knowledge and skills to their students. This tradition has continued with artists like Diego Velasquez and Giuseppe de Ribera and reached its peak in the 19th century with artists like John Singer Sargent. This skills-based approach prepares aspiring artists to paint countless subjects in a multitude of different styles and is largely centered upon the observation of nature coupled with sound artistic principles. Artists who follow this training achieve the technical abilities, personal commitment and philosophical views needed to create great art.
After World Wars I and II, there was a shift in aesthetics. Artistic practice went from a humanistic approach to one that revolved around shock and rebellion. Yet despite this aesthetic shift, there were a number of artists who were academically trained and who continued to practise painting within the Naturalistic tradition. These artists succeeded in passing on their skills to the next generation of painters. There is now a growing movement of artists all over the world who have chosen to maintain traditional principles of draughtsmanship and realist painting in their work.
Naturalistic or classical training does not impede or dictate creativity. What it does, in fact, is empower artists and students with the skills that they need in order to be able to communicate visually, in a way that truly draws upon the human experience.
More information about Madeleine Gera’s Atelier can be found on the website www.madeleinegera.com