--- "Y.A.Raw" <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Thank you Karen. That's really helpful. What a great
> idea. I had
> actually taken objects to arrange a still-life. It
> might have been a
> good exercise to get students to arrange the still
> life in a way which
> reflected Matisse's arrangement of objects;
> certainly as part of the
> session anyway. (Though I might have had a problem
> recreating a vertical
> table.)
>
> I started the day with a game in which we wrote the
> first item from the
> following list down on a piece of paper, and then
> folded the paper down
> and passed it onto the next person to add the next
> item etc. I asked the
> students to write down:
>
> *
> An object
> *
> A characteristic or emotion to describe an object
> *
> An environment
> *
> Four colours
> *
> A pattern
> *
> a shape
> *
> a time of day, or season
>
> Some of the results were quite amusing (and bonded
> the group quite
> well). I then asked the students to compose a simple
> picture (in pencil,
> paint, and/or paper collage) using/interpreting the
> items on the list
> they had ended up with, in whatever way they wanted.
> This method of
> composing pictures prevented the students from being
> too certain about
> what they wanted to draw or paint. It also made them
> draw from their
> imagination as opposed to what was in front of them.
> The exercise was
> very difficult for the students but it did make them
> think. We all had a
> very interesting discussion afterwards about how the
> students had
> interpreted the items on the list, (i.e. to see
> whether they had used
> the colours and/or the pattern to convey mood/time
> etc.)
>
> I did this before I went on to talk about Matisse
> because I wanted to
> draw out the students' response to the exercise
> before using Matisse as
> an example.
>
> I also talked a bit about Matisse's portrayal of the
> nude, and his
> statement about the 'Ugly Woman' painting i.e. that
> 'I do not paint a
> woman. I paint a whole picture', (or something along
> those lines
> anyway).
> Very interesting.
> Thanks again.
> Yvonne
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: The UK drawing research network mailing list
> [mailto:
[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> Of Karen Wallis
> Sent: 16 June 2008 10:33
> To:
[log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Painting/Drawing like other artists
>
>
> Dear Yvonne
>
> Perhaps a workshop that looks at what Matisse was
> trying to say rather
> than how he said it? For instance using a dancing
> model - and mixed
> ability classes in my experience are usually game to
> try most things, no
> matter how apparently difficult the idea.
>
> I once ran a workshop within a first year BA drawing
> module with a broad
> age range, which 'unpacked' Manet's Olympia, in the
> context of the life
> drawing studio. Referencing Manet's iconoclastic
> approach to the theme
> of Venus attended by her maid, my aim was for the
> students to examine
> the relationship between the artist, the models and
> the viewer. We set
> up the scene copying the composition of the
> painting, then did a series
> of poses looking at variations on the theme. First
> we did a straight
> copy with a nude model on the couch and a clothed
> model in attendance as
> her maid. Following that I changed the models round
> including using a
> male model and variations on nude and clothed poses
> - e.g: nude maid in
> attendance on clothed woman, male clothed attendant
> on nude female, nude
> male attending clothed female, and (the one that
> really upset one
> student) a clothed male on the couch attended by a
> nude female maid.
> The session worked well and help the students to
> take a fresh and
> critical look at painters they admired.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Karen
>
>
> --
> Karen Wallis
>
[log in to unmask]
>
>
> On 16/6/08 10:03, "Y.A.Raw" <
[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > Dear all who have responded,
> >
> > Many thanks. I have gained a great deal from your
> reactions, ideas,
> and
> > suggestions. Some really revealing stuff...
> >
> > However, has anyone actually taught a practical
> class/workshop using
> > another artist as an example? If so, what did you
> do? We all have
> ideas
> > about copying and understanding the works of
> artists in relation our
> own
> > work, but I am particularly interested in what you
> do at grass-roots
> > level when you have adults of very mixed ability
> sitting in front of
> > you. How would you go about teaching students to
> use Mattisse's style
> in
> > their own work? What limits would you set, and how
> would you
> facilitate
> > freedom of expression at the same time. How
> (briefly) would/did you
> > organise a day-long lesson?
> >
> > Michael Bray's suggestions (below) were
> particularly useful because he
> > was directly relating his response to a teaching
> environment, as well
> as
> > his own personal experience. I happen to agree
> with Michael
> completely.
> > I suppose I'm looking for ideas for practical
> exercises etc. I'm
> working
> > in the field of art in the community, which is a
> different forum to
> that
> > of art-school, or practicing artists.
> >
> > Thanks again for any help.
> > Yvonne
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: The UK drawing research network mailing list
> > [mailto:
[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
> Of Chhatralia,
> Sunil
> > Sent: 16 June 2008 08:59
> > To:
[log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Painting/Drawing like other artists
> >
> > I agree with Michael, in that many years ago at
> school I too used to
> > "copy" works that I admired to teach myself new
> techniques. It was
> > perhaps useful to develop a range of techniques.
> However, I don't
>