kick...push...grisaille

so i'm taking a painting class and this is our first assignment- a still life in grisaille. All this means is we start with a grey base and drawing. From there we fill in all black areas, then you move to either grey or white areas. Your finished painting will then be covered in a transparent glaze. This is how old masters used to paint. If you wonder why paintings now don't have the same feel or esscence it's because color is applied immediately to a canvas and hue becomes more important than depth. Compare a scene by Caravaggio or Tintoretto to Sorolla y Bastida or Van Gogh and you'll be amazed. The same measure of illusion is gone, this is why master works are so highly prized and respected. The product may not be as superior or popular as a modern work, but the process is masterful and that is what makes for a breathtaking painting. You couldn't have a Young Bacchus by simply filling in color on a dark canvas. I never thought i would ever consider myself a painter, but while learning this process i can truly be proud of what i have created and maybe begin to call myself a painter. maybe, maybe.