Painting students match wits

Undergraduate painting students at ASU's Herberger College School of Art recently matched wits - or at least talent - with their favorite masters, when they were challenged to replicate a favorite painting - but with a twist. And now, the public can enjoy the results in the exhibition, Copy Right, running Feb. 10-14 at ASU's Step Gallery.    

The task of the undergraduate painting class was to faithfully duplicate the work of old and modern masters, with the added twist of incorporating the student’s self portraits into their reproductions. Diego Velazquez, Francisco Goya and Gustav Klimt were just some of the masters chosen by the students for their project.

Through direct experience with the paint, each student had to reckon with the tools and techniques of their chosen masters far more deeply than would be possible by simple observation of the masterworks. The students chose pieces that allowed them to explore techniques and subject matter that amplified, challenged, or violently opposed those in their own personal work.

In fact, the class found this exercise so beneficial that they decided to extend the concept - to create a completely personal painting using the techniques of the chosen master.  This exhibition consists of each student’s master reproduction; photographs of the original masterpiece, the personal painting done using the master’s techniques and an artist statement.

The Step Gallery is Located in Tempe Center at the west end of ASU's main campus, Tempe. (Southeast corner of Mill and University.) Admission is free. Gallery Hours are Monday through Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. and Friday from noon to 3 p.m. For more information, members of the public should call (480) 965-6163.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Pringle
480-965-8795
jennifer.pringle@asu.edu