Artist & Art History Lecturer: My name is Eric Buechel and I was born in Passaic, New Jersey, July 2, 1958. I first acquired my love of art from my dad Ernest Buechel who was an extremely talented artist and Master Ship Modeler born in Koblez, Germany. After spending much of my youth studying the works of the masters and working diligently on my craft, I won a scholarship in 1977 from the New Jersey Art Directors Club and went on to attend DuCret School of Art in Plainfield, NJ. During this time I took countless trips to some of the worlds most renowned museums in New York City pencil and sketch book in hand.Perhaps the most important thing to happen in my life was meeting Dr. Furman J. Finck, the Dean of DuCret an official presidential portrait painter and author. Under Finck's tutelage and studying Dr. Finck's work at his Manhattan studio, I learned a technique using a Wolff's carbon pencil to draw incredibly detailed portraits rivaling the detail of the photographic realism of artist Chuck Close.Through the years I have enjoyed and made it a passion to study and collect large engraving from the 19th century. The first time I made a purchase of these works was at the age of 15 years old. It was a book titled Gallery of Contemporary Art, published by Gerrie & Company of Philadelphia in 1884. It's author was Armand Silvestre. The book contains the most brilliant works of art from the Exposition Universale of 1878. From my passion to collect art I've been privileged to lecture and experience art many have come to overlook. I've visited museum collections and have viewed and purchased prints handed down to family members. In some cases I have been fortunate to buy prints that were the last surviving piece in the series. And more importantly I've spent hours restoring and pioneering conservation techniques to remove spotting and dust from these magnificent 19th century works by masters we cannot forget. These were the artists of the official art exhibition of the Acadmie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. These were the masters Monet, Sisley, Renoir and Vincent stood before and learned from. Regardless what the art historians write or not write about today, these artists from 1748 to 1890 stood out. The salon artists were the acme of their time and we must not close the historical door on the contribution they had on our civilization. And let us never forget the engravers, which are rarely mentioned in art history books and who were able to copy the painters masterpieces and engrave them onto copper and steel plates in order to duplicate the artists intentions and present them to others to see. In the event you have an interest in seeing my collection of Victorian prints visit my website and enjoy the tour into the 19th century. The site is ericbuechel.net. Remember to bring your sketch book, a shape pencil, curiosity for the pass and enjoy the tour. Of art Buechel says, It is critical that an artist becomes intimately familiar with a minimal of the works of 100 great masters. Without this knowledge one cannot be taken seriously. To soak up this knowledge is to gain an important tool in discovering proper composition, form, light and emotion. Understanding and creating todays art is not unlike the difficulties Giotto, Durer, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Inness and Picasso faced years ago. Please follow me on tritter. I'd love to hear your comments and website recommendations. twitter.com/ericbuechel … Read More