Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Memory of a Horse

 Fox and Landscape, Bruno Liljefors, oil, 1915

Swedish wildlife painter Bruno Liljefors said that in order to be successful at painting animals, an artist must have:

1. A love of nature and animals.

2. Great powers of observation.

3. The memory of a horse.

That last note needs some explanation, because it may translate better as a "long, deep, memory." 

4 comments:

Knits and Weaves said...

Perhaps where a Swede would say "memory of a horse", English-speakers would say "an elephant's memory."

René PleinAir said...

First I thought you had a post about Rien Poortvliet a Dutch wildlife painter.
Well worth checking ;-)

Thanks

René PleinAir said...

That said, Rien once told he had a photografic memory, ... that would be helpfull
Although Emile Gruppe claimed you beter can paint something you don't know, ... you don't going to interpretate that way.

Alan Anderson said...

In order to draw the viewers eye to the subject, does the artist paint the landscape around the subject as suggestive forms and shapes? Leaving the detail for the subject? I would think landscape closer would have detail to provide depth.