Turner's Apprentice

Book excerpt: A unique, practical manual that enables readers to become an apprentice to one of the world’s greatest painters. How can a modern painter go about learning the techniques and methods of a long-dead master? Drawing on years of research and practice, Tony Smibert brings us a virtual apprenticeship, sharing his own method and approach that emulates J. M. W. Turner and yet is contemporary, original, and innovative. Turner had an extraordinary capacity to paint in ways that confounded his contemporaries and still amaze us today; Smibert’s method of painting in Turner’s style ingeniously draws together ideas and principles from East and West to bring out an entirely new perspective on Turner’s practice. A working manual, Turner’s Apprentice brings together elements of practice from historic masters, including Claude Lorrain and Claude Monet. This is a book for anyone aspiring to learn from any master. Fully illustrated with works by Turner and other major artists, as well as practical, step-by-step demonstrations, it offers a perfect companion for anyone seeking to understand by doing. Even for those who may never paint, Turner’s Apprentice offers a tantalizing glimpse of the thrill of painting and learning.