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How Skilled Copyists Leave the Louvre with a Masterpiece Every Year
How Skilled Copyists Leave the Louvre with a Masterpiece Every Year
Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Edgar Degas. These
artists are not only some of the most famous painters in art history,
but they also share a common experience—copying the works of Old Masters
in the Louvre. A long tradition dating back to just after the French
Revolution, each year Paris' premier museum grants 250 permits to
amateur and professional artists, allowing them to copy the masterpiece
of their choice.
Post-impressionist
painter Paul Cézanne once said, “The Louvre is the book from which we
learn to read.” This poignant thought sums up the traditional practice
of learning by copying the work of previous masters. Indeed, as far back
as the 15th century, when Italian artist Cennino Cennini wrote his
artist handbook, The Book of Art, this task has been deemed
essential for artistic growth. Cennini wrote, “When you have practiced
drawing for a while… take pains and pleasure in constantly copying the
best works that you can find done by the hand of great masters.”
The Louvre opened its doors to copyists in 1793, just one month after
Marie Antoinette was beheaded and Louis XIV's palace transformed into a
public museum. It was then declared that any artist would be provided
an easel free of charge to take up the challenge of painting a
masterpiece. This still holds true today. But while the easels are free,
artists around the world can wait for up to two years in order to be
granted one of the limited permits.
The Louvre copyists are allowed to work for up to three months,
having access to the galleries from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm from September to
June, except on Saturdays and holidays. Once their works are finished,
they are inspected closely by officials from the Louvre, ensuring they
meet the strict requirements. Canvases must be one-fifth smaller or
larger than the original, and the original artist's signature is not to
be reproduced on the copies. Once these safeguards against forgeries are
met, they are stamped and signed by the head of the Louvre's copy
office and escorted from the building with their work.
Recently, French photojournalist Ivan Guilbert
was granted permission to spend three days in the museum, photographing
the copyists at work. There, he captured the wide range of artists who
venture to the Louvre in order to further their art. From Sam Rachamin,
who traveled from Israel to try his hand at copying a work of Ingres,
to 58-year-old professional house painter André Martin, who works on a
landscape by Bernardo Bellotto, each copyist has their own story to
tell.
What struck Guilbert the most was the dedication, concentration, and
patience of the copyists, who work in the midst of the Louvre's
visitors. “They have three months to do the copy, it's like a ‘baby,'
you know? It's really hard to concentrate with a lot of people around
you,” Guilbert explains to My Modern Met. “The people behind you who
watch what you do—and comment on what you do. I couldn't do this.”
For Guilbert, the opportunity to come into the prized institution (no
matter what your background) and trying your hand at copying the work
of great artists is a striking reminder of freedom. “It's a privilege to
have this access, but everyone can have the access.”
