Why Do a Master Copy?

Why do a master copy?

The question should be why not do a master copy?

Completing a master copy pushes you to do something outside of your repertoire. Through the process of replicating a master work one explores techniques, acquires new skills and garners knowledge. When I set out to complete my own master copy of a J.S. Sargent charcoal portrait I had specific goals in mind. I wanted to improve my draftsmanship and I also wanted learn about Sargent’s handling of portraits to understand how he simplified information and what details he chose to eliminate. His charcoal portraits demonstrate a sense of immediacy and are beautifully expressive “painterly” in nature. These qualities I admire and hence wish to fully develop within my own work.

I found the master copy project to be quite exciting and admittedly I was obsessed. There were days when I worked on the project daily and there were days when I set the work aside for observation. On those days when I observed the work in progress I analyzed the differences between the master work and my copy taking notes as to what needed modification. One thing I found extremely helpful was having the master work and the copy side by side set up in a sight sizing format. In doing so it was much easier to recognize where things were going well and where there were opportunities.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire process of the master copy and loved pushing myself to be as exact as possible matching the style and level of Sargent’s work. In summary the Sargent master copy underscored that superfluous information is unnecessary. There is genius in simplicity.