There are two schools of thought on how to learn to paint. The first is the atelier based education where technique takes precedence over vision with the goal that if you know how to draw/paint what’s in front of you, you can then have leisure to cultivate a vision. The second school proposes that once there is a vision, the artist can figure out a way to execute it and thus tailor her education towards that end. Being self taught, I naturally belong in the second school. For myself, vision is synonymous with soul or authenticity. It is often possible for a work of art with a lot of soul to overcome its limitations of execution or technique but much harder for a technically superb painting to overcome its limitations in soul or vision. My self education is comprised of a lot of looking, reading and practice, practice, practice. Here are some books which I recommend in the order of (1) tackle the history, ideas and philosophy to gain knowledge on what art is, (2) a study of composition and visual perception for the complex knowledge on how to put it together, (3) drawing and anatomy for the basics and lastly, (4) the actual study of painting. This progression from cultivating the ideas and then narrowing it down to specifics of technique is an example of how you can learn to paint on your own but with a less than haphazard game plan if you were desirous of structure. I might have approached it this way had I any foresight, but to tell the truth, I went head first in the haphazard manner (works remarkably well albeit with a lot of pain). If you know what you want, you’re halfway there. I have a dislike of instructional books which show a painter’s (usually the author’s) particular painting technique as they only teach a particular “how” but never address the more important question of “why?” I also add a fifth category of books relating to keeping oneself motivated and cultivating a studio habit because in the end, the hardest part about painting is sitting down to paint.
Art History and Philosophy
- The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form by Kenneth Clark
- The Voices of Silence by Andre Malraux
- American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America by Robert Hughes
- The Sight of Death: An Experiment in Art Writing by T.J. Clark
- The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure and Human Evolution by Denis Dutton
- The Art Spirit by Robert Henri
- What Painting Is by James Elkins
Composition
- The Power of the Center: A Study of Composition in the Visual Arts by Rudolf Arnheim
- Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation by E.H. Gombrich
- Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye by Rudolf Arnheim
- Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing by Margaret S. Livingstone
Drawing and Anatomy
- The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides
- Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Beverly Hale
- Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters by Robert Beverly Hale
- Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck
- The Artistic Anatomy of Trees by Rex Vicat Cole
Painting
- Rembrandt: The Painter at Work by Ernst van de Wettering
- Velazquez: The Technique of Genius by Jonathan Brown and Carmen Garrido
- Titian (National Gallery Publications) by Jill Dunkerton and Jennifer Fletcher
- Oil Painting Techniques and Materials by Harold Speed
- The Painter’s Methods and Materials by A.P. Laurie
- An Artist Teaches: Reflections on the Art of Painting by David Leffel
- Classical Painting Atelier by Juliette Aristides
Developing a Practice
- The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
- The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it For Life by Twyla Tharp
- Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity by David Lynch
FATIMA RONQUILLO 