life-drawing well attended; new girl (forgotten name) Sabrina, Didier, Jean-Noel, Kat, Aileen, Roger, O-B, french woman whose name I can never remember - with me, thats 10. Clare was the model.Silence intense, as if we were creating it -
terrific sense of affection for these people.
Drawings terrible. Since Clare was modelling last week and all was dreadful, l took a little notebook and just drew lots as fast as l could, hoping to learn from looking and really not attending to product. Wish l knew what l was aiming at. All l know is what it is not.
It occurs to me that life drawing must be anthropomorphising the model, for what can we know of another except by self-projection? It may be time to start drawing upside down or one of those tricks... that might do it. It would break the habits of the hand that have to be overcome drawing by drawing.
In the meantime, haunting by a half-glimpst painting that I want to re-create. Watched ZORRO, a childhood favorite, re-coloured and jiggered with into french, on TV last night. There was a scene where Zorro and his rival in love were jammed on a sofa flanking the girl. Just above her head was a large painting, kind of pueblo version of an El Greco, in chunky ochers and rather nasty sage green, a woman swathed in fabric looking over her shoulder, her hand raised and holding something. That's it. Done some drawing but think it should be followed into paint to see why its so compelling.
The tumbling nude on vellum done, though, alas, far from finished. The situation l place it in is next.
LATER; attacked the painting of the woman looking over her shoulder. So far, she is holding the severed head of a man. Its a very rich image - Holophernes, John the Baptist - but that's not the good bit, the good bit is the woman - who is shocked and thrilled by the head she is both clasping to her and supporting. Very engaged with it. Must must must try not to overwork :)
No comments:
Post a Comment