Eric Vanasse's Gallery
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Philosophy
Training
Beauty is everywhere, it is my goal as an artist to extract its essential elements and convey them on canvas in a way that transcends the subject and the medium.
I try to facilitate an emotional connection to my work by using a variety of techniques, some that are centuries old and others that have been discovered more recently. It is by studying and practicing this accumulated knowledge of the art of painting that I can keep growing as an artist and develop an approach that is both personal and timeless.
The classical methods of drawing and painting are no longer taught in almost all Canadian superior art schools.
I gained my knowledge and skills by studying rigorously under American and European classically-trained artists who founded two schools dedicated to the classical traditions, l’Atelier de Brésoles and the Bohemiarte School. The rest of my education was mostly self-taught by studying the works of masters from the renaissance to today. This path allowed me to merge the rich traditions of the past, the scientific knowledge of the last decades and a contemporary spontaneity that gives a breath of life to paintings.
In addition to my practical art training, I gained an extensive knowledge and unique perspective in art by doing a university major in Art History and by working for 15 years in museums, the last 10 of which I spent at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts where I was Head of Archives (collection management). I have since dedicated myself to the delightful pursuit of beauty that every canvas presents to me.