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$550
Sep 11-13
Location: Southern Atelier
The human figure is the most powerful visual image known to mankind. It is the main subject of our artworks, our movies and novels. Its forms and proportions are used in designing buildings and cars. Man is the measure of all things as they say. Landscape is our home, still life are our possessions but the human figure is who we are. We relate to this image as to no other. We admire them, worship them, fall in love with them. For an artist, there is no physical form more moving or capable of expression then this one. Nothing comes close.
For an artist, for artists over the centuries, the human figure has been the image that has been used to tell stories, evoke emotion and speak of the mysteries of life. To do this, an artist must convince the viewer that the paint, graphite, charcoal or marble that they are looking at is a human being. Without that, there is no expression. To see the beauty in the figure is not difficult, but to understand it in a deep way that allows one to express that beauty is.
There is immense complexity in the figure and all people seem somewhat different and unique as they are. That said, there is a way to learn this most magnificent form. All human beings are identical in the patterning of their forms. We are all assigned the same parts down to small details. The forms have a kind of prototypical design that all hands or ears or elbows follow. If that can be learned, if you know the forms in the ear or the nose, they you will know all ears or noses. The difference comes in the proportions and in that way each person is unique.
This class will focus on this “secret figure” as it has been called in the past. It is the accumulated understanding of the figure that artists have passed down from generation to generation. The class will work in clay, from a life model. Starting with the main elements of the figure, the 3 great masses of head, rib cage and pelvis, we will look at how gestures, balance and contrapposto are created. The large volumes of the figure, their plane structure and relationships will be stressed. With a general method of proceeding from large to small, the class will work on the entire figure while also pausing to examine parts in detail. The rhythmic harmonies of form will be stressed. This life-giving element is the organic harmony of all living form. Life is based on rhythm and this is a physical manifestation of that force.
Michelangelo famously said that Tintoretto’s figures looked like “bags of walnuts” as his figures seemed infested with bumps of no particular pattern, size or relationship. To know the character of a kneecap, that it is a particular shape and relates to other forms in a specific way is a large part of the key to drawing the human figure beautifully. We will focus on this understanding in this 3 day workshop.
Supplies Needed
1 figure armature – recommended size 24-32” (larger armatures can be heavy, smaller ones are easier to work with)
Try Sculpture House or The Compleat Sculptor for supplies
Platesline or oil-based clay
Perkins recommends Chevant Professional Plasteline in soft (still slightly stiff) or DaVinci Italian Plastilina in soft or medium (water-like clay). Search Chavant for supplies.
Amount needed depends on armature size
Pro tip: Clay is cheaper in bulk!
Modeling tools
Try Sculpture House or The Compleat Sculptor for supplies
Recommended sizes- #402A, #221, and #217
A dry-cleaning bag -or similar item- to keep your piece covered