Drawing the Naked Body: Lessons in Looking
A personal essay recounts the author's experience in a college life-drawing class, where models were often fellow students. The class emphasized direct observation over preconceived ideas, using exercises from Betty Edwards's "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" to engage with raw visual information. The author contrasts this with an art history survey that taught how to talk about art through context and authority. The practice of sustained attention to the naked body is described as a gift, resisting over-intellectualization. The essay reflects on the persistence of figure drawing as a human practice, noting its continued relevance in San Francisco and Oregon.
Key facts
- The life-drawing class used college students as models.
- Exercises from 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain' were used.
- The class involved 30-second poses and longer poses.
- The author also took an art history survey.
- Figure drawing sessions continued later in San Francisco and Oregon.
- The essay is published in Vogue.
- The class was for first-year art majors.
- The model sometimes wore a robe during breaks.
Entities
Institutions
- Vogue
Locations
- Vermont
- San Francisco
- Oregon