Jean Pierre's Visit to West Newbury
Jean-Pierre Besenval’s 15th century Italian Renaissance style oil on wood-panel paintings celebrating old-world Tuscan and Umbrian landscapes. Paris-born with Italian origins, Monsieur Besenval apprenticed at the Parisienne workshop of Georges Guillot, a master in wood-panel painting. Subsequently, Besenval studied in Italy under various master instructors in Renaissance painting techniques and the use of ancient paint mediums such as egg, bee wax, and rye flour. Opening his own workshop in Paris in 1984, Besenval’s intention was to create an Italian Renaissance-inspired atelier or studio where students could learn, train and paint while the viewing of artwork itself would be open and accessible to visitors. As Besenval expresses it, “What is important for me is to give the students the good basics (colors, perspective, composition) and to make them feel free to put their own feeling in their paintings. As I was taught, I want also to hand the ancient techniques down to the students: how to prepare and use egg painting, rye flour painting, and casein painting (all of) which produce more interesting results than acrylic (paint).” Since 1984, his workshop has welcomed more than 2000 art students. Master painter, instructor and author, Monsieur Besenval continues to widely exhibit his own artwork and teach Renaissance wood-panel painting techniques in France, Italy and the United States.
