Head Drawings

Jessie

This head drawing shows great progress from the first head drawing done in this class. While the image is somewhat skewed and looks a little flat, the features are proportional. The image also holds some resemblance to the model.

Figure Drawings

 These are two of the last figurative drawings. The one at left is the last one. In my opinion, it is the most successful and shows the most progress.

Iconology

Vermeer - Girl With a Pearl Earring 

The date of completion is unknown for this piece although it is estimated to have been around 1665. According to some sources it is unknown as to whether this painting was commissioned and the figure in the piece is also unknown.

The girls intense gaze captures the viewers eye. This is an unconventional portrait, although it is beautifully done.

James Abbot MacNeil Whistler - Portrait of My Mother: Arrangement in Gray and Black

This painting of the artist's mother was done in 1871. His mother posed for the painting. There are varying stories behind the piece: one being that another model did not show, and his mother stood in. Another being that he had wanted to paint his mother standing, but she was uncomfortable.

Thomas Lawrence - Sarah Goodin Barett Moulton: "Pinkie"
 1794

Sarah Goodin Barett Moulton was the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner. The painting was commissioned by her grandmother around the time the girl left her home to go to school. She died only a year after the painting was completed.

Frans Hals - The Laughing Cavalier
1624

While the figure in this painting is unknown, it is interesting that the figure is not actually laughing. The shape of his moustache creates this illusion.

John Singer Sargent - Madame X
1884

The woman pictured, Virginie Amelie Avegno Gautreau was the wife of a wealthy socialite. She was rumored to have had many infidelities, and in the original painting, her left dress strap was around her shoulder. This, however, was too suggestive and so it had to be changed.

The painting was done at the request of the artist.

Foreground, Middleground, Background

Foreground - the parts of a piece that appear closest to the viewer

Middleground - the portion of a piece that appears in the middle, usually seems to be the focus of a piece

Background - the portions of a piece that appear to be furthest from the viewer

Cezanne - Landscape Near Aix, the Plain of the Arc River

In this landscape by Cezanne, the foreground would be the rocks and bushes closest to the viewer. The middle ground would be the trees. The background would be the mountains, hills and the sky.

Picture Plane

Picture plan - the actual surface upon which a painting is painted

Michelangelo - The Creation of Man

In this case, the actual ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is the picture plane. 

Post - Modernism

Post-Modernism - an art movement considered to have been developed in the aftermath of modernism
 - intermedia, installation art, contemporary art, and multimedia are all considered to be post-modern

 Roy Lichtenstein - Whaam!

Roy Lichtenstein's pop art would also be considered post-modern.

Modernism

Modernism -  a movement in art revolting against conservative values of realism
 - during the late 19th and 20th centuries

Van Gogh - Portrait of Pere Tanguy

One of the early pieces of modern art.

Crosshatching

Crosshatching - the use of criss-crossing lines to show shape and shading

Hendrick Goltzius - The Massacre of the Innocent

Goltzius uses crosshatching lines to show not only the values of the forms, but also the shapes of the muscles.

Foreshortening

Foreshortening - the illusion that objects decrease in size as they increase in distance from the viewer (and vice versa)

Andrea Mantenga - The Lamentation of Christ

This is a classic example of foreshortening. The entire body of the figure is portrayed in such a way that it is necessary for the artist to distort the body so to appear accurate.

Iconology

Iconology - the study of the meaning contained within the of a particular work of art

 Caravaggio - The Crucifixion of St Peter

This image contains the icon of St Peter, but it also shows the symbolic act of him being hanged on the cross upside down. He did not want to be hanged in the same manner as Christ, and so along with the significance of the portrayal of the figures, this also shows the significance of humility.

Iconography

Iconography - the portrayal of well known individuals in art, usually in a portrait style
 - the study of people or symbols depicted in a work of arm

Giovanni Boldini - Portrait of Alexander Harrison

This portrait shows the artist, Alexander Harrison.

Monochromatic Color Scheme

Monochromatic color scheme - use of different values (shades and tints) of a single color

Picasso - The Tragedy

Picasso uses variations of the color blue for this composition. The color also helps to convey the emotions portrayed in the image.

Analogous Color Scheme

Analogous color scheme - the use of colors that are next to each other on the color wheel

Monet - Water Lilies, Green Reflection, Left Part

 Monet uses a combination of dark blues, greens, light greens, and yellows: all of which are next to one another on the color wheel. This creates a very calming effect which is similar to the feelings of the actual content of the work.

Complementary Color Scheme

Complementary color scheme -  the use of colors that are opposite of one another on the color wheel

Henri Matisse - The Dance

In this painting, Matisse used blue and orange, complementary colors. The contrasting colors creates a strong effect.

Contour Line

Contour lines - lines used to define outline definition as well as elevation (such as in mapping)

Alexander Calder - Horse Tricks

This piece uses line to define the figure of the horse and the women. Line is the sole source of any description in this piece: characteristics of a true contour line drawing. 

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro - " The arrangement of light and dark elements in a pictorial work of art."

 
St Joseph the Carpenter - Georges de la Tour


This piece shows the stark contrast between the illuminated light on the child's face, and the darkness behind the man. The arrangement of light in this image guides the viewer's eye to be attracted to the child's face.

Pentimento

Pentimento (according to the online dictionary) - "An underlying image in a painting, as an earlier painting, part of a painting, or original draft, that shows through, usually when the top layer of paint has become transparent with age."

This painting of Queen Elizabeth I was done by an unknown artist in the late 16th century.

Around her hand it appears that there was originally something other than what she is currently holding. Sources claim that she was originally holding a coiled snake and it was painted over to show the nosegay that she is holding now.

(http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/5028)

Hans Hoffman: The Studio (1950)

"It is not the form that dictates the color, but the color that brings out the form."

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak."

This particular piece uses color and basic shapes to describe the space of a studio room. There is a distinct stool in the lower right and a possible corner of a canvas in the top left. 

Hans Hoffman's first quotation reiterates the importance of the use of color in describing shapes. He uses bright colors that contrast one another such that they describe forms around the space. He also uses negative space to describe shapes (such as the stool). 

His second quotation correlates to the simplicity in this piece. The only real distinct shape is the stool, the rest of the shapes are left to interpretation. However, according to Hoffman, the rest of the shapes are the "necessary," and in this piece he emphasizes their existence and allows them to speak. 

Matisse: Reclining Odalisque (Harmony in Red)

In depicting this model, Henri Matisse seems to focus on her interaction with her surroundings. Instead of simply drawing the model and the details in the model, Matisse captures qualities about the surroundings of the model as well. There is not much detail overall, but the scene is still interesting because of the quantity that it contains and the relatively accurate proportion in which everything appears.

One very notable thing about this painting is Matisse's use of color. The vivid red in the background is the most obvious. However, the way in which he used subtle colors of green, blue, purple and gray to capture the woman's skin tones is impressive. Matisse used non traditional bright colors to depict a realistic scene.

Nov 4

Oct 28

Nude Models

Sketching the nude models was a very new experience for me. While I was initially very nervous, I came to realize that this was something unlike anything that I had ever done and in may ways it was significantly more interesting. Instead of drawing the same still life for hours, drawing a person doing different things was a lot more dynamic.

However, because this was something unlike anything I have ever done, it came with its challenges. Adhering to the correct proportions proved to be very difficult, especially with the hands, feet, head, and face. Also foreshortening was an extremely difficult thing to encounter. During one of the sessions, I was in such a position so that no matter what the model did, one of her features was always being foreshortened.

While these difficulties continue to appear with each session, it also seems as though each time gets a little easier. Due to practicing, it seems as though I have developed a more formulated way of approaching these problems. One of which is sketching the surrounds. Another is using the shapes of negative space to form relations between the model and the objects surrounding her.

A quote by Hoffman that could be applied to these sketches is: "Art cannot result from sophisticated, frivolous, or superficial effects." Drawing the figure requires observation and the ability to convey what is being viewed onto paper. Doing this requires nothing but natural abilities, and no extra effects.


Some of my sketches from the different sessions are shown below (and in following posts).
Oct 21:

Fruit

"Fruits ... like having their portrait painted. They seem to sit there and ask your forgiveness for fading. Their thought is given off with their perfumes. They come with all their scents, they speak of the fields they have left, the rain which has nourished them, the daybreaks they have seen." - Cezanne

Cezanne discusses the personality of a fruit in that it has more character than just a still life object. A fruit is not perfect, it can (and will) rot, it gives off odors, and it has imperfections. In order to really portray fruit, all of these qualities must be portrayed.

In my sketch of a pumpkin, I attempted to capture its personality. This particular pumpkin was very round, but not perfect. One of my favorite parts of this pumpkin, and one that clearly demonstrates the characteristics that Cezanne discussed is the dirt on the side. This pumpkin was not clean, and I sketched some of the dirt and wear of the pumpkin found toward its upper right.

Hands 3

Another hand sketch...

This time, I sketched my hand in more dramatic lighting. I found this to be significantly more interesting as there were a lot more shadows to work with.

For example, my middle finger, ring finger, and pinky were all tucked under my hand. The lighting cast an interesting shadow on my ring finger that helps to demonstrate the shape and dimension of it.

I also chose to include the shadow that my hand cast on the table. It was extremely pronounced and defined. As I learned from my sketch in Hands 2, including detail in the space around the subject also helps to give the subject itself more definition.

Shadow and Light

Cezanne said, "Shadow is a color as light is, but less brilliant; light and shadow are only the relation of two tones."

In this statement, Cezanne evaluates the relationship between shadow in light. With shadow and light, essentially different tones, one can create dimension. Shadow and light can create a piece on their own because they can be used like color. While some need color to develop a picture or image in their art, others can simply use light and dark.

Here, I sketched a tissue folded under a bright desk light. The bright desk light would cause for dramatic shadows and the white of the issue would force me to use the light to illustrate the subject. It was a bit of a challenge to use only shading to show an object. One problem that I ran into was that the tissue was so light in weight that the desk light easily showed through it. Because of this, I did not get as dramatic of lighting as I would have wanted.

Regardless, this sketch demonstrates the relationship between shadow and light. It also shows how only shadow and light can be used to illustrate a subject.

Still Life: "It is so fine, and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas"

Cezanne once said "It is so fine, and yet so terrible to stand in front of a blank canvas." It is so fine because a blank canvas means the a new piece and a new beginning. It is refreshing. At the same time, it is terrible because it is so intimidating. A blank canvas means that the artist is back to square one. 

After reviewing Cezanne, the class put together some props for a still life. Ranging from paint cans to wires and scarves, we had a wide variety of items in our still life.

The initial assessment of the objects was to draw them very loosely in relationship to one another. Specifically, focusing on the negative space between the objects. Drawing the objects surround the subjects, but not necessarily part of the still life was also important to grasp the relationships. The table was especially important in this process.

 After the objects were roughly sketched, then detail could be added to each object.

While I was able to fulfill this process for the most part, there were still times when I would add detail to an object only to have to erase it because it was not in the right place.

The sculpture (shown in the sketch left) took a lot of time to get the shape and negative space right. I began to add some detail to this object.

The image shown  below shows the detail that I began to add to the coils and the surrounding objects. I found it much easier and that it looked a lot better, to draw the coils as a whole more that as individual pieces of wire.

The image shown right is a picture of the set up for the still life sketch.

In working on this still life I could really to relate to Cezanne's quote. Having something new to draw, and especially something so complicated and detailed, was exciting. However, looking down at a blank piece of paper and then looking back up at the scene that I was supposed to put on that paper was exhausting in itself. With each shape and detail the piece got progressively easier to handle. Though, as it got easier and got more detail, the "newness" of sketching the piece began to fade away.

Figures in Perspective

This sketch was done in one point perspective and includes objects and proportional figures.

My inspiration for this piece came from a park that I walk through every day to go to class. There are always a bunch of children playing on the playground and running around as well as many people walking their dogs. I also drew some rough buildings in the background to give the image some more dimension and show the surroundings.

Drawing the people in perspective was a bit difficult. While they look proportional, they also look a little flat. I challenged myself with drawing the proportions of children (since they are slightly different from the proportions of adults). They also do look sufficiently proportional, but again flat.

The swing set and trees were also drawn in one point perspective. The swings were a bit challenging but I like the way they came out. I also intentionally drew the trees in decreasing size so that they were proportional to their location in space.

This was not my favorite sketch, which is perhaps why it is incomplete. However, it was a good exercise for practicing drawing the figure proportionally and drawing the figure in space.

Hands 2

Drawing the hand holding an object was a surprising challenge in comparison to drawing just the hand. Before, I could focus on the details of the hand itself. This time, I not only had to focus on the details of the hand, but the relationship between the hand and the object (in this case a pencil).

I also attempted to show the hand in space by shading the area underneath the hand and drawing my sleeve. Adding these details made the sketch significantly more interesting and dynamic.

The thumb and index finger portions look a little washed out, but the severe lighting didn't really allow for much shading. The middle finger shows some relationship with the pencil at the tip. As stated before, showing the hand holding an object was a bit of a challenge, but I am happy with how this particular portion of the sketch came out.

Overall, the sketch came out pretty well. It is a little light and could have used more shading, but the shapes came out nicely.

Hands 1

For my first hand sketch, I am very pleased. The focus of this sketch was essentially just practice in getting the proportions correct. I began by using simple geometric shapes. Then, I added shading and detail to show the actual hand and fingers. 

My favorite part of this sketch is in between the index and middle fingers. The shading really brings out the detail. The ring finger and pinky seem a little bland as if I neglected that part of the sketch, but the lighting was so bright that they really were that bland. 

The biggest challenge in this sketch was trying to not move my hand. Even subtle movements would cause me to have to re-draw entire parts of the hand. However, overall, I am happy with how this came out.

Capricho 42: Tu Que No Puedes (You Who Cannot)

This Capricho by Fransisco de Goya is meant to symbolize the dynamics of society during his time. He portrays the wealthy as donkeys, or asses, that are riding on the backs of the working lower class.

His use of light and dark in this particular piece both emphasizes physical qualities as well as metaphorical. Since wealth is considered to be well respected, the donkeys, or upper class members, are very light. Although, Goya did pay special attention to the muscles in the donkeys. The poor, dirty from physical labor, are much darker.

Goya also uses the darkness to show shadows. Shadows are a relatively simple detail, seemingly meaningless, but they fill up the space and create a more dynamic and full piece.

"Ballerina"

"Ballerina" was created using charcoal and erasing the dark away to create an image. The charcoal was a very effective tool in creating such dark shadows. I then used a kneaded erasure to create the spotlight and change the shading on the girls dress.

This was a very interesting process, and unlike any other drawing I have ever done. The eraser was very effective in not only creating light, but also some form of direction. For example, where the light meets the dress, it is very bright. But by erasing in different directions I attempted (and hopefully was successful) in distinguishing between what was the dress and what is the light.

At first glance it may be difficult to perceive the scene in this piece. However, once it is seen, it is much more understandable. I am very pleased with the outcome of this piece, and I had a lot of fun doing it.

The Professor

This piece was done in class with a combination of watered down paint over charcoal. The paint initially highlights the movement and shadows in the scene. The charcoal was then used to add detail to the figure. In this piece, I really tried to focus on the movement and look of the fabric of Professor Rifka's clothing. I slightly exaggerated the size of her blouse: while it was very "flow-y", my image makes her form look wider than she is. However, I am very pleased with how the pants came out. The cross-hatching and emphasis on the folds looks realistic. The overall form is a bit disproportionate, such as the arms being a bit too small, and the head being a bit too large. Despite the dis-proportionality, I think that the individual features themselves came out satisfactory.

While making this piece, I really enjoyed working with the different media. The paint was especially fun to try.

Shades

This is a sketch of a picture of my boyfriend, Sean. Although this image does not fully capture the form because he is wearing sunglasses, it does emphasize the drastic shading at that moment. We were out on the boat a few hours before sunset when this picture was taken, so the sunlight was very strong and at an angle. This created an interesting effect on the face, especially in the right lens of the sunglasses. The sunglasses are dark, but the sun is so strong and at such an angle that it actually shines through the lens and onto the skin. The effect is very slight, especially in this particular sketch, but it was interesting nonetheless.