When looking for models to emulate we started off by looking at a painting of Vermeer’s that is analyzed on the website of the National Gallery of Art in at least three dimensions:
Light. Note how the light draws our attention to what she is doing, how it models her features beautifully, unifies the important elements, and sets up an emotional tone … and suggests how we might compose our own work similarly and to our advantage!
Design. Note how the painter has balanced fields of light and dark, set up diagonals with objects and light, and organized the perspective to guide the eye to what is important … something you can and should do, too!
Symbols and Meaning. Note how he dresses his figure, furnishes her room, and organizes her activity … and ask yourself: what things surround my subjects in Berlin and what do they tell us about them?
Learning from other artists is of course central to studio art training and much artistic practice. You might be interested, for example, in learning about the modern photographs Jeff Wall has made based on classical paintings, including a remake of a Japanese painting.
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