The first step in copying images in my performance - I look. I watch, absorb, read the picture for several hours. Nothing more. Before taking up the brush, I try to imagine the work of the artist and as accurately as possible trace the movements of the brush of the author of the image that I am going to copy. I'm looking for what surprises he hid; what makes this look unique; how he chose colors; how he created the composition; where is the shadow and where is the light. I learn the painting almost by heart.
But memorizing without even trying to understand - like in school - doesn't make much sense. Well, that doesn't make any sense. Therefore, the second stage for me is research - I am looking for information about the author and specifically about this picture. I want to understand why the author decided that he needed to draw exactly this. I also want to understand why the author decided that he should draw this way and not otherwise.