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Monday 25 July 2011

Dishabille

Oak K Howell 2011 Pastel on Paper 14 cm x 21 cm
    What with summer weather, Lucien Freud's death and cleaning out my studio space, people in a state of undress seem to be a recurring theme.
     Life drawing is a great experience. I rediscovered a stack of student work that reminded me of how much I enjoyed it. It takes a courageous person to strip off and let a bunch of artists explore and interpret their body. Looking at the drawings, I was amazed at the immediate recall of the particular session dynamic.
    'Learning' a person without much dialogue or touch is an unusual practice. Like consensual stalking. The individual model is so much a part of the work, what they bring to a session is terribly informative. I remember one male model who insisted on always working with a broom handle. So they could 'dialogue' together. He made quite an impression.
     I noticed in my stack of drawings that the stronger pieces were loaded with subtext. Irritation, admiration, familiarity: it all comes through. Indifference produces rubbish.
     Easy to see how this love of life drawing has carried over to landscape. And trees are so patient...

2 comments:

  1. LOL, I totally agree, it takes a tremendous amount of courage for a person to bare themselves in public at the expense of others. But when I think about it, the purpose of the human body is so interesting to me. Far more beautiful than just the sexual portrayal that we sometimes reduce them to.

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  2. Some models get a real buzz from the concentration of attention. Which is understandable. And still brave. It's the intimacy that is interesting, really...

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