Life class
Encyclopedia
A life class is a class held in art school
s for the purpose of instructing art students on drawing or painting the human figure from live models
, typically nude or with minimal clothing. Life classes are usually reserved for more advanced students because of the complexities of the human figure and other aesthetic considerations not encountered in more objective subjects.
Anatomy is only the first level of concern in life classes. Figure-ground relationships and other aspects of composition are also considered. Balance of a composition becomes more crucial and therefore more understood through life drawing. The artist's kinesthetic response to the pose and how this is conveyed through a choice of art media is a more advanced concern.
The life class is the first major encounter most art students have with the energies of form and the resulting empathy of both creator and viewer. Gesture drawing
is a life-drawing technique often used to emphasize the inherent energy in a living figure. In gesture drawing the model will not take a long pose but instead moves through a series of more quickly timed changes or gestures. The artist's job is then to react to the changing balance of weight, as well as to indicate the human form. In the beginning such responses to movement may look like scribbles but eventually sensitivities heighten and the gesture can be felt due to appropriate changes in line-quality. The subject is no longer so objective.
The sensitivities to media and subject that develop through life drawing often become the basis of an art student developing a personal style that will then translate to all subject matter.
One classic book developing life class experiences is Kimon Nicolaides
' The Natural Way to Draw.
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
s for the purpose of instructing art students on drawing or painting the human figure from live models
Model (art)
Art models are models who pose for photographers, painters, sculptors, and other artists as part of their work of art. Art models who pose in the nude for life drawing are usually called life models...
, typically nude or with minimal clothing. Life classes are usually reserved for more advanced students because of the complexities of the human figure and other aesthetic considerations not encountered in more objective subjects.
Anatomy is only the first level of concern in life classes. Figure-ground relationships and other aspects of composition are also considered. Balance of a composition becomes more crucial and therefore more understood through life drawing. The artist's kinesthetic response to the pose and how this is conveyed through a choice of art media is a more advanced concern.
The life class is the first major encounter most art students have with the energies of form and the resulting empathy of both creator and viewer. Gesture drawing
Gesture drawing
A Gesture drawing is work of art defined by rapid execution. Typical situations involve an artist drawing a series of poses taken by a model in a short amount of time, often as little as 30 seconds, or as long as 2 minutes...
is a life-drawing technique often used to emphasize the inherent energy in a living figure. In gesture drawing the model will not take a long pose but instead moves through a series of more quickly timed changes or gestures. The artist's job is then to react to the changing balance of weight, as well as to indicate the human form. In the beginning such responses to movement may look like scribbles but eventually sensitivities heighten and the gesture can be felt due to appropriate changes in line-quality. The subject is no longer so objective.
The sensitivities to media and subject that develop through life drawing often become the basis of an art student developing a personal style that will then translate to all subject matter.
One classic book developing life class experiences is Kimon Nicolaides
Kimon Nicolaides
Kimon Nicolaїdes was an American art teacher, author and artist. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army in France as a camouflage artist.-Early life:...
' The Natural Way to Draw.