RISD student Bryan Konietzko reflects on how an artist goes about copying another's work
Now, not only is he familiar with the artist's work but Konietzko will soon act as her wrist, copying the portrait of Sarah E. Doyle that Beaux deftly layered onto a canvas in fluid brush strokes 95 years ago.
Brown recently hired Konietzko to duplicate the portrait of Doyle, a prominent leader in the establishment of the Women's College, to replace one stolen from Sayles Hall sometime before Aug. 20. The Beaux portrait is owned by RISD.
"It will be a challenge because the whole idea of the portrait is that it looks so easy," said Konietzko, 21, a senior illustration student.
To copy the portrait, Konietzko will first project its image from a slide onto a canvas and mark the outline of Doyle's body, thereby establishing its correct proportions.
Next he will block in the major features of the portrait with transparent paints, like watercolors, so that the canvas can still be seen beneath. The process is called underpainting and can be compared to the first draft in a writing assignment, Konietzko said.
The final and most difficult phase of the project will be setting up an easel in the RISD Museum of Art next to the Beaux portrait and layering paint onto his own canvas to reproduce its image. There will be deep greens for the chair that Doyle sits on, and deep reds for the background.
Konietzko practiced copying paintings in many of his courses at RISD. Copying requires a student to be "able to work in a style that's not your own," said Professor C. Trentman Burleson, who recommended Konietzko for the project. The assignments also allow a student to understand what went into the construction of an artwork.
Ultimately the knack for copying is in the wrist, and the vision for the painting remains that of the original artist, said Konietzko.
"I'm basically just a human scanner," said Konietzko. "These are still Cecilia Beaux's decisions and what she observed that made the painting what it is."
Konietzko expects to spend about eight hours a week on the project, and complete the new painting of Doyle within two months. It may hang in Sayles Hall by the end of the year.
His work accomplishes the original goal expressed by Doyle in choosing RISD to house her portrait. In a letter explaining her choice, Doyle wrote:
"The portrait was painted by a noted artist and has been pronounced by one of the best critics of painting in the city as one of the best, if not the best, portrait artistically considered in Providence. For this reason it is studied by the students of the School of Design. That it should be of service to them is a satisfactory reason for its being in the School."
The copy will recognize the talent of both artist and student. It will likely be signed "Konietzko after Beaux."