Complete Bargue Drawing Course

The Bargue drawing course is one of the most popular classical art drawing courses in the world.

Draw from the same Bargue art plates as artistic masters like Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh and thousands more artists.

Traditionally the art student would copy master drawings and then plaster casts of sculptures and monuments and then finally from life.

The Charles Bargue master drawings are a series of prints ranging from simple to more advanced drawing. Training the eye of the student to understand the effects of light and shadow, the illusion of form.

I totally support the point of view of French art teachers of the 19th century that fine art students need to study the rich traditions of the classical art.

French schools at that time advocated the following sequence of art education:

1. Drawing copies of classical art plates
2. Copying drawings by the Old Masters
3. Drawing classical casts – busts and figures
4. Drawing live models

The 20th century brought various “isms” into art, and many art students become disillusioned with art education as it is practiced today.

Copying the Old Masters and studying their art is an important part of traditional art education. Copying classical masterpieces will develop a proper artistic taste and style. I believe that thousands of fine art students will improve greatly from such exercises.

These plates were created as a part of an intensive drawing course system designed by the late great draftsman, artist, and painter Charles Bargue

During my atelier training these lessons were integrated in the curriculum (as I’d imagine with most ateliers around the world) and taught as a means of refinement of observational skills in the practice of drawing.

Benefits are perpetual in the entire scope of the artist’s development.

To have the ability to accurately record what the eye sees removing deviation or mental hindrance, I’d say is the basic principle behind this drawing system.

Once this is gained the artist is in a better position to integrate their imagination in a precision controlled manner.

Should you buy a copy of this book?

If you’re really serious about improving drawing skills, and you’re willing to put in some hard hours of practice, then yes, you should definitely buy it.

If you just love drawing and have cash to burn, you should buy it.

If you’re in the habit of buying art instruction books but you cant really draw that much, this book isn’t going to magically help you draw better.

But neither is any art book.

This book contains the plates from the original "Cours de dessin" digitally restored to more faithfully represent the original plates as they appeared when new. Also included are some example drawings from original Bargue students. Finally there is the complete collection of Bargue figure drawings making this a complete set of drawing plates exceeding those in the basic course.

Important Notice on Print Quality:
Our books are printed and fulfilled by Amazon's global network of printing facilities. While most customers receive high-quality prints, occasional production issues may result in subpar copies. As the author, I have personally reviewed multiple copies, and all have been of excellent quality. However, I understand that rare printing issues can occur.

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