Art History Journal

A Reflection of the Past

When it came to the painter of the past one thought about them came to mind. These painters had unsurpassed skills in their craft which allowed them to do their jobs so well. It was amazing how they could paint portraits so exactly that it almost seemed that it was a photo in itself. These painters had an ability that not many painters of this time could reproduce. No one really understood how they painters of the past painted image so detailed and exact but they were given the benefit of the doubt that they were just that good. Too bad it all was a lie. The painters were not painting from their eyes but they were using technology that let them paint more realistically. I never thought that the painters would have used mirrors or lenses to increase their quality of painting but I guess it makes sense. If I was in that time and I was looking for a way to increase my abilities then I would try how to do this the easiest. And during this time it was with mirrors and lenses. It is disheartening that the painters were really that good when it came to perception and proportion but it did not take away from them painting. Even though they had the tracing of exactly what they had to paint, they still had to actually add the color, shadow, texture, line, and all other things to make the image come to life. yes they had the advantage of making their image more realistic with the lens but painting it was still based on their talent and skill. I think that it’s sad that historians of any kind thought for the longest time that their favorite painter was a one of a kind artist that no one could match. They never thought that the painter actually used technology to paint the images easier on the canvas. Knowing that this technology was used also leveled the playing field in terms of painting talent. It showed the painters were not as magical and skilled as people originally thought. I think that since it was thought for so long that these painters painted free hand that people will always believe it. Even if this video was showed to everyone people would still deny it and believe that their painter did not use these devices. The false technique was preached for so long that the real technique becomes unreal and just a theory to most people it is sad the implications of bad information.