Hensche on Painting

by John W. Robichaux, Dorothy Billiu-Hensche (Introduction)

An artist for over 70 years and a teacher for more than 60, painter Henry Hensche (1901–92) employed Monet’s Impressionist tradition of seeing and painting color under the influence of light, and he taught his students to "see the light, not the object." In this book, his student and biographer John Robichaux examines the artist’s basic painting philosophy and methodology, as expounded in his famous classes and workshops on Cape Cod.
A prolific artist and inspiring teacher, Hensche touched countless lives as he challenged pupils to understand how they could make their paintings better by having a particular vision of color — whether in a still life, landscape, or figure painting. One of his many students, Robert Longley, claims that Hensche "showed us that there was no shortcut to great art. His specific teachings on color and light are useful tools in the creation of art, but of greatest importance was Henry's relentless quest for beauty."
Brimming with practical advice for amateurs and professionals alike, Hensche on Painting is intended to help further develop artists' own visual sense of nature.

Genres: Art

80 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2005

Reviews

[Jose · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this compilation of notes about Hensche's techniques, the artist comes across as someone with quite a limited vision of the role and technique of art. Some of his comments on Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Velázquez, Sargent or Rembrandt are a bit arrogant and even ignorant. This has its origin in some misguided "common knowledge" like the fact that during his time it was not known Michelangelo was a great colorist by mannerist standards, and on a very linear vision of Western art as a succession of movements improving on the past. Hensche has no problem giving credit to Monet and his own master Hawthorne but only as precursors of Hensche's own finally modern and finally well understood colorist doctrine. Hensche was probably a great instructor whose legacy rests on the practice of developing the "color keys" of light through blocking and proper representation of color as seen, not as learnt. But his dismissal of tonalism, his idea that the wider variety and availability of colors today renders the masterpieces of the past as "passé", his ignorance of the way color was used very effectively from Ancient Greece to Vermeer, etc...diminishes the message somewhat and makes him sound a bit provincial despite his impressive curriculum. It doesn't help the book has very few and uninteresing illustrations.That said, Hensche was and is an influential master colorist whose echoes are found among the best painters in the impressionist style and its variations from Daniel Pinkham to Eric Merrell to Camille Przewodeck or Peggi Kroll-Roberts among many others.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are lots of how to paint books out there but I carry this one everywhere I go because it' emphasis is one seeing which is 50% of the challenge of painting.