
. Ryno Swart has over the years developed a unique approach to Art Teaching. Although everything in his course is based on the methods of the Old Masters, the sad truth is that these methods have been largely forgotten over the last century. Artists interested in figurative work, particularly, have been forced to find their own solutions to the problems of composition, perspective, proportions, anatomy, colour, light and shade, technique and philosophy. In one way this is a good thing, as everything has been made new.Ryno Swart. Painting in Oils.
. In his own searches, and especially once he started serious teaching, Ryno Swart soon found that all these wonderful fresh discoveries were familiar to artists of earlier times. This brings a glorious sense of kinship to the student, realising that other artists struggled with the same problems as he or she does, and that they experienced the same pains and joys.
. At the heart of this Painting Course lies the absolute centrality of the artist's vision. Our task is not so much to learn to paint as to learn to see. This is why Ryno insists on the primacy of direct visual experience, as opposed to copying photographs. The course does, however, concentrate on the tecnical aspects of oil painting as these are the instruments without which our vision must remain hidden.. The course is structured as a one-to-one approach by email. The student is given study material which includes practical work. This work, once done, is then scanned and emailed to Ryno for intensive critique and feedback.
. Ryno Swart's Oil Painting Course is structured as follows:
The Eagle's Vision. The Artist's Vision. The Light of Attention.
The Part and the Whole. Negative Shape and Closure. The Meaning of Perspective.
Setting up. Colour Beginning. Blocking in. Massing in. The Meaning of Chiaroscuro. Direct Painting. Impasto. Glaze. Dragged Colour. Edges. Atmosphere. Truth, Beauty, Harmony.
Sketchbook work. Life Drawing.
- Enrolling for the Complete course including practical work and feedback, working through each of the 16 fundamental projects, as well as discussion of personal work.
- Ordering the entire Course Document as a unit without the one-on-one email feedback feature.
- Ordering one unit of teaching at a time and working through it with feedback and guidance.