Publisher's Synopsis
From the PREFACE.
....This book is written for those who wish to study the first principles of light and shade, and the details concerning mediums, technique, and the many points upon which the student must be informed. It is written with the hope that it may assist students, and particularly those who work at home, to study intelligently, so that all may go to Nature as the first and best teacher, and be prepared to discover in her the truths she unfolds to those who study her seriously.
Many of the illustrations of this book are from students' drawings, and though they do not reproduce the drawings perfectly, they give an idea of what may be accomplished by students who are taught to work artistically, and to depend upon themselves and upon study of nature.
Figs. 43, 44, and 58 are by second-year students of the Massachusetts Normal Art School; the other charcoal drawings of Chap. V are by students of the entering class of the same school, as is also Fig. 62. Figs. 63, 64, and 65 are by students of the School of Drawing and Painting of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Such work can seldom be done in the public schools until conditions are very different from those now existing; but teachers can give instruction of an artistic nature which will be in harmony with the work of the best artists, and which will prepare for work such as that illustrated.
Only the essentials can be given in this book. Those who wish to go more deeply into theories and principles will find many interesting books. Among these the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds are particularly valuable, as he is a prominent example of a great artist who has also written upon art, and all art students are advised to study his writings with care....
