I see, you were making a point about a bigger cultural and historical situation, while I was trying to find examples of artists who were/are (attempting to) keeping the old masters' techniques and the spirit alive.
Along with Ernst Fuchs and Dali, I would place H. R. Giger in that line - not in terms of specific technique, but "the skills and ways of looking" of an artist, if not a master.. That's a mere trickle though, and certainly not a tradition anymore, just individual exceptions. I agree with your point that "Painting has deteriorated since the old masters."
It rings true about the "crisis in the formation of artists", that in modern times, something essential has been lost in what it means to be an artist. The wider loss of cultural direction, the disenchantment - I wonder whether it's related to the loss of mythology and religion.
Along with Ernst Fuchs and Dali, I would place H. R. Giger in that line - not in terms of specific technique, but "the skills and ways of looking" of an artist, if not a master.. That's a mere trickle though, and certainly not a tradition anymore, just individual exceptions. I agree with your point that "Painting has deteriorated since the old masters."
It rings true about the "crisis in the formation of artists", that in modern times, something essential has been lost in what it means to be an artist. The wider loss of cultural direction, the disenchantment - I wonder whether it's related to the loss of mythology and religion.