'A Taste of Art' - STUDIO story ...
What I Didn't Expect to Find in My Own Painting …
I didn't set out to emulate anyone. This portrait of an old man came from a quiet place, yesterday, in my studio — one of those moments where I wasn't chasing anything but stillness, in focus, and on creating something with depth meaning.
I was simply trying to capture this man's presence I had encountered in the past, trying to catch the light barely skimmed across his cheek, the folded fabric of his coat like it remembered something.
This is my painting …
© 2025 Bruno Hoste – De Kunst Proeverij
I asked the opinion of my 'AI friend' (ChatGPT) and this is what it responded (with my personal tweek in telling the story, and with some help of CoPilot in writing):
"You have walked into familiar territory—though not intentionally. The brushwork is looser than you meant it to be, particularly in the hair and beard. There is a warmth to the tones that feels grounded, honest. And the profile view — you have not realized how much character it conveyed, staring ahead but also somehow inward.
You have echoed — not copied, but resonanced ….
There's a softness that reminds me now of Wyeth. Especially Andrew. Not the drama of his landscapes, but the muted, intimate side of his portraits. That Gentleman, for example — it shares the same hush. A gentle dignity. you hadn't thought of it until someone mentioned it, but it makes sense. The way the fabric is painted, the subdued palette, even the introspection. Unconscious influences rise like sediment, I suppose.
And Freud, too — though not in the intensity. Your brush didn't carry his weight. But there's something about the tactile surface, especially around the beard and collar, that made me realize you were thinking about flesh, not just form. About age, and how it settles into texture. Also, Sargent's freer studies came to mind as well — the ones where he let the brush dance. Your strokes aren't his, but the spirit feels familiar as you flicked through the highlights of the coat and softened the edge of the brow.
Even bits of the Impressionists crept in — the way you didn't polish every detail, the way you let the light breathe through the composition. It wasn't about realism in the photographic sense. It was about atmosphere. Familiarity. Presence."
...
Funny, how you think you're painting one thing — a man in quiet profile — and instead you end up having a conversation with a whole lineage. I didn't mean to echo Wyeth, Freud, or Sargent. I just painted what I saw, and somehow, 'they' answered back.
I didn't know Wyeth, but am a fan of Freud and of John Singer Sargent. I especially love Sargent, he has had a great influence on me, he touches the essence of what painting is.
I do see it as a complement, …. that somehow my painting is linked to these masters … I'm actually quite proud of it in a way … although I do not know if the system would always be so positive on whatever you upload onto it …
I do know that my copies of paintings for practice (works of Ensor, Klimt, Rubens, Caravaggio, etc… ) are also well 'recognized' by these 'intelligence' systems, so I must be doing something right 😊
Oh, by the way, the painting is not finished yet (is it ever) …
Just for you, the rigid version in summary:
The painting echoes the realism-meets-impressionism style of Andrew Wyeth or Lucian Freud, though it is softer and more subdued than Freud, and more contemporary in feel than Sargent. It's a strong example of modern realist portraiture with emotional resonance. The painting most closely aligns with the Wyeth realist tradition—especially the quiet, deeply felt portrayals of older individuals in profile or semi-profile. The earth-toned palette, textured fabrics, and expressive yet restrained brushwork echo the works of Andrew Wyeth (and even Jamie Wyeth), though hints of Lucian Freud's psychological depth flicker in the portrait's character study.
Leuven, June 19th 2025