Hi Alastair,
I dont think you ever tutored a session where I modelled, but I may be
wrong. But you are absolutely correct in the manner in which life drawing is
employed at LUSAD. However, I think the Fine Art part no longer has much
interest in it. It was getting less and less during my seven years there,
with students saying that it was only copying what was there and not really
"art" as imagination was not needed ! If only they could have had the same
structured sessions as Illustration students ! I still blame the suits, in
the long run though, enforcing room usage to the extent that the purpose
built fine art life room began to be used for lectures therebye leaving
students who wished to work with Dianne and myself independantly with no
opportunities. I believe the models are now part time and therefore cannot
take as much interest in the students as we did. Dianne was almost a
counsellor to lots of the girls for instance !!
I am heartened to hear that life drawing at foundation , illustration,
in LUSAD maintains such an important level. It is something I very much at
DMU, now that I am finally doing my own fine art degree there. We have two
regular models, but they are part time, mornings only and have to cater for
foundation, and year one students leaving year two students (for whom it
isnt mandatory) for most of the first semester. I will let you know about
the access of year three students as soon as I start ! I never saw any third
year undergraduates practising life drawing in my two years here. Maybe they
simply dont have time.
Working still, sometimes, as a part time model for private groups I can
confirm that it is graduates of universities which held life drawing in
esteem who go on to form private life study groups.
As for anatomy..................... Im not sure how much it is necessary
to understand the skeleton beneath the skin, or the muscles attached to
them, but it cant do any harm to know a little of this. I have a large tome
called "Anatomy for the Artist" that at one time served almost as a bible
for me. But like a previous writer said, does one need to understand the
inner structure of a tree in order to draw a tree? I think not.
It is interesting to note that so far there have been no opposing views
to the idea that life drawing is imperative in artists apprenticehips, but
then, what would I know............ I actually like Jack Vettriano
paintings, much to the chagrine of my tutors, who represent the fine art
police, telling me never to darken the halls of the Fletcher building again
!!!
Alastair,do you ever work with Dianne Cotterill? Isnt she amazing?
thanks
Steve B Robinson
www.art-cell.com
>From: Alastair Adams <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The UK drawing research network mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Life Drawing in Art Schools
>Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:01:02 +0100
>
>Hi Margaret and all,
>
>some thoughts and info on Life Drawing at LUSAD....
>
>I am a lecturer in Illustration and Animation at Loughborough University
>School of Art and Design (LUSAD) within the Department of Visual
>Communications (VisCom) and Co Chair of the Drawing Research Group. As
>such I am responsible for the delivery of Life Drawing modules to
>Illustration and Animation students. Life drawing is a mandatory component
>of the first two years with a full day session, 9.30-3.30, for each year
>on either Monday or Friday. We have two Drawing Centres within the school,
>one used for PG Research and a large, light, galleried space for the
>students. This is shared across the school and is used by Textiles,
>Foundation and Vis Com students. Foundation use the life room solidly for
>the first ten weeks of semester one and on busy days two session run
>simultaneously with up to 100 students life drawing at one time from three
>models. From my experience I think problems arise when lecturers don't
>have the facilities, time and space or don't know how to incorporate life
>drawing within a higher level of contemporary visual study.
>
>Life Drawing has remained and is maintained within Illustration and
>Animation due to the structure of the course. Along with a thorough
>workout on the fundamentals of draughtsmanship, first years need to
>experience and develop strong observational skills in order to sustain
>engagement, develop a personal visual language and interrogate a visual
>situation from a personalised perspective. Life drawing works hand in hand
>with an appropriate range of studio briefs and is intended to nurture a
>rich, sophisticated and inventive image- making. In the first year the life
>room is seen as a playground for visual experimentation and anatomical
>observation.
>
>During the second year students start to interpret the model in a variety
>of different ways according to their own developing illustrative language.
>Inventiveness is still paramount but in order to develop students need to
>find a way of visually employing content and personalised ideas within an
>appropriate context. As contemporary Illustration is now seen to move
>across a range of disciplines this causes the students to question how
>traditional life drawing fits as part of modern illustrative practice.
>Rather than dump it at this point because it doesn't fit, life room briefs
>are structured to engage this. For the minority of more traditional
>students life drawing remains an observational excercise whereas those who
>wish to construct imagery using photography, animation or movement as part
>of their image making process have to think harder. As illustration
>conveys a message often relating to individuals or humanity students are
>encouraged to find personalised ways of representing or employing people
>or the human form as part of a greater narrative. Consequently
>illustration students not only seek to depict the model but direct,
>construct, design and perform outcomes involving the human figure.
>
>For many the second year is a confusing and enlightening time (as it
>should be at this level of study) however when approached successfully in
>this way the results are rich, contemporary, diverse and far reaching.
>Loughborough's Vis Com students go off to work successfully in a wide
>range of occupations. One ex student I spoke to recently, who now works
>for a leading advertising agency, missed the practice of life drawing so
>much that she arranged classes for her self and her agency colleges.
>
>I'm aware that only those with a positive experience of life drawing will
>post. In the interest of balanced debate I think it would be good to hear
>interesting contradictory arguments too.
>
>Cheers all,
>Alastair Adams
>
>P.S. I also taught in the room Steve mentioned, went to Leicester Poly
>89-92 like Emma and could certainly make space for the rest of Berry's
>Norton Commando.
>
>On 29 Aug 2007, at 10:01, Margaret Mayhew wrote:
>
>>Dear All,
>>
>>I was just going over some old postings on this list and thought I'd
>>conduct a quick 'straw poll'.
>>
>>I'm assuming most of the members on this list are associated with some
>>form
>>of art institution, either as students or staff.
>>
>>I was wondering how many *hours* of life drawing are actually offered per
>>week/semester in various institutions?
>>
>>Is it compulsory/optional (including foundation year) and
>> has it changed?
>>and if so when?
>>
>>I realise that a lot of this information exists in academic calenders but
>>I'm more interested in people's perceptions and recollections of the
>>amount and extent of life drawing within art schools.
>>
>>cheers
>>
>>Margaret Mayhew
>>PhD Candidate
>>Department of Gender and Cultural Studies
>>University of Sydney, Australia
>>
>>
>>
>>
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