The aim in reproducing the works of the Masters is not to imitate their style, but to understand how they thought, what problems they may have had and how they solved them whether personal, environmental, or artistic. 

The discipline for the modern artist is to analyze what they see in the original and to render it faithfully. By painting with an eye to the past the artist can study techniques used by the Masters. It is not merely about replicating their achievements but understanding their methods, and motivations. It has been the chosen way to learn painting for many generations.