Bargue Plates were created back in the 19th century to teach artists how to draw with the precision of a surgeon, thus developing a keen eye and a steady hand.
Very admirable, sure. But… then what?
We end up hanging those copies in our studios like hunting trophies, waiting for a silent applause that never comes. Weeks spent on a precision exercise that prepares you for... what, exactly?
It trains you to be super faithful to a static reference.
And that’s it.
Big deal.
But NO ONE is asking for more precision. No one’s jaw drops because a painting is more “accurate” than the next.
If you’ve ever been told, “Wow, it looks like a photo!” as a compliment, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve felt that emptiness, that poison running through your veins, and you’ve started to wonder if something’s off.
Because, like it or not, we live in the 21st century, and from up here, things look different.
This obsession with reviving Bargue relics smells more like archaeological nostalgia than educational ambition. Art requires skill, but it’s not just an exercise in skill.
We spend 80% of our time and energy training the hand, when we should be training the mind. Learning technique, when you have mental clarity, is something that comes naturally -on demand.
If you’ve spent years in a neo-conservative academy, sharpening pencils like you’re prepping swords, copying shadows with surgical precision, praying each night to Saint Zorn, and following the sight-size gospel to the letter, you’re likely in one of two places:
- You feel lost, full of fear, unsure how to give structure to your emotions, and of course, not selling a damn thing.
- You defend the method with all your might, convinced it’ll make you a virtuoso, capable of connecting with your audience if you can only get good enough. Also, not selling a damn thing.
And if you keep running on that hamster wheel, here’s what’s likely to happen:
...You’ll struggle to interest anyone because your work seeks APPROVAL, not CONNECTION, and you’re just a carbon copy of your classmates. (Sorry, but your art is boring as hell.)
...You’ll end up teaching the same stuff you were taught, passing down a lack of artistic ambition disguised as a passion for excellence.
...You’ll desperately fight to escape that golden cage of perfectionism and excellence that’s got you trapped — hey, there’s light at the end of this tunnel!
Maybe this isn’t you. Perfect. But if you’ve been through one of those academies, sooner or later, you might agree with me: they’re the damn Internet Explorer of the art world.
Did I go too far?
Probably, haha.
Good thing you’ve got a sense of humor. Let’s turn this around.
You’re not an idiot.
Your frustration makes total sense.
You’re buying security, and they’re selling you a rock-solid system... buuuut it only solves problems that no longer exist in your world. It worked two centuries ago, but now it’s 2024.
Good grief, that little detail.
Your frustration makes sense… but it doesn’t come without RESPONSIBILITY.
At Quarantine, we get loads of frustrated artists. No exaggeration. It’s the cold, hard truth. Most of them are lacking one major thing: CONFIDENCE.
They color outside the lines, and the world comes crashing down.
It’s an epidemic.
They come to the island because they don’t fit the system, or because they fit so well they can’t break free from it.
Some are looking for a place to flourish without being judged. Others, a reset to break the chains that bind them to the norm. And most of them are lacking CONFIDENCE.
That’s where we give them something that shifts their perspective.
If you’ve ever felt that your education boxed you in more than it freed you, that it fed your insecurities instead of your creativity, Quarantine might be exactly what you need:
CLICK HERE TO REQUEST ADMISSION*
*We don’t accept everyone because it’s intense, and not everyone’s ready for it, so we’ll interview you to make sure Quarantine is right for you. But if reading this email is a punch in the stomach, chances are you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Click the link above ⬆︎⬆︎⬆︎ and let’s talk.
Have a great day 🍻
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