Since the Renaissance the ability to see and render accurately the visual world has formed the basis for representational art. By the 1800s training to "see" had become virtually a science as demonstrated by the explosion of first rate painters of that era. The primary purpose of the "Great Masters Program" is to empower the aspiring painter with this essential first skill. Its secondary goal is to provide the basics of the painters craft. This "grammar" of painting is taught in the context of picture making. The apprentice's own work is the forum for inculcating this knowledge through verbal and hands-on critiques. As in the past the beginner first draws the cast, then paints the still life, the portrait and then the figure in a performance based progression. Demonstrations, discussions and seminars are provided at various times, covering such areas as perspective, anatomy, "the start" of a painting, memory drawing, etc. Also available is a library collection of books containing much of the instructive studio lore of the masters of the past, as well other useful related literature.
The "Boston School" Connection
The "Boston School" sought to combine the truth of impressionist color with good draughtsmanship, sound composition and skillful paint handling. Its leading exponents included Edmund Tarbell, Frank Benson, William Paxton, Joseph Decamp, Philip Hale and Leslie Thompsom. R.H. Ives Gammell (with whom Ingbretson studied) was a turn-of-the-century Boston Museum School pupil of the first three men and later consulted extensively with Paxton who was himself a product of the French Beaux Arts training.