Drawing and painting the modern nude
Weekend-long practical course
14 July 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm15 July 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
£420. Includes all materials, lunch, and wine reception.
Terms and conditions
Join artist Adele Wagstaff for an intensive practical course focusing on drawing and painting the nude; through an exploration of pose and gesture, using the simplification of form and changing viewpoint to examine how the modern nude can be portrayed.
“Make copies, young man, make copies. You can only become a good artist by copying the masters."
Ambrose Vollard, 1937
During this practical drawing and painting course, participants will focus on the work of French artist Edgar Degas (1834–1917), widely regarded as the founder of the Impressionist movement, exploring how he used continual reflection, reassessment, continuity and repetition of both themes and poses.
Degas’ art was built, primarily, on the study of the Old Masters, and then on a constant exploration of themes and media throughout his long career, from the academic ideal to creating his later un-idealised and more unconventional images of the nude. He maintained throughout his career that he continually thought about his work in terms of the great Masters, and his belief in drawing remained fundamental throughout, as well as an insistence on the importance of studying and copying from past art. Degas’ art was built on reflection, reassessment, continuity and repetition, borne out of observation and his concern to articulate this consciousness to the spectator. He recognised early in his career that looking does not just involve what one sees, but from where one sees.
Participants will, through drawing, explore the human figure, working from both short and long poses, experimenting with different materials and considering composition and how the figure is positioned within the rectangle. The fundamentals of drawing, measuring, proportion and anatomy will be covered alongside referencing key works from the RA Archives and from Degas’ extensive library of life drawings and copies. Working from models, themes will include pose and gesture, colour combinations, repetition and revision, the use of cropping, composition and viewpoint.
Materials used during this course will include oil and chalk pastels and watercolour, gouache and acrylic paint. Oil paint is not permitted in the historic Life Room.
£420. Includes all materials, lunch, and wine reception.
Terms and conditions
About the course
This course explores drawing and painting techniques working directly from the life model within the Royal Academy’s historic Life Room. Drawing inspiration from works within the RA Archives, as well as from Degas’ long history of working from the nude model, an illustrated introduction will be provided including key artworks from the period. The historical and theoretical background will provide a broad and thorough foundation in preparation for the practical exercises and methods. Participants will work from a number of poses throughout each day, the focus being on exploration of and experimentation with different materials.
This course will also reference and make use of expertly selected items from the Royal Academy’s own Archives and Collection –- a unique scholarly reference and teaching tool which has informed artists and their practice since the Royal Academy’s foundation in 1768. As well as learning from carefully chosen archival material, participants will develop skills in observation, representation and rendition when working from the model.
Day one: Working with a model in the studio; working under different lighting conditions, and with a range of materials in black-and-white, including charcoal, pencil and ink.
Day two: Working with a model, longer poses will be set up to allow for more sustained study and exploration of the figure in drawing, as well in addition to shorter painted studies using pastel, watercolour, gouache or acrylic.
Please note that oil paints cannot be used within the historic Life Room.
This course is suitable for all levels.
This course is for you if:
• You have an intrinsic interest in drawing or some prior knowledge and would like to improve upon existing skills and learn new techniques and approaches.
• You would like a new perspective in your approach to life drawing.
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills and ideas in a small group setting and in the historical surroundings of the Royal Academy’s Life Room, with one-on-one teaching and expert led guidance.
• You have no prior experience of life drawing but have an interest in the theory, practice and history of art and drawing from life.
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor for each participant on the work that they create.
Price: £420
Saturday 14 – Sunday 15 July 2018
10.30am-5.30pm on both days
Includes:
• An introduction to the Academy with particular reference to relevant works from the Collection
• Exclusive access to the RA Schools historic Life Room
• Access to both male and female professional life models
• All practical materials and equipment
• Light refreshments and lunch each day
• A drinks reception at the end of the first day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Adele Wagstaff
Painter Adele Wagstaff trained at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Slade School of Fine Art where her teachers included Andrew Maclaren, Myles Murphy, Patrick Symons, Norman Norris and Euan Uglow. Following her graduation from the Slade, where in the Life Room Adele focused her practice on working from the nude in sustained poses, Adele continues to focus on the human figure, portrait and still life.
About the space
The Life Room
The Royal Academy’s historic Life Room sits at the heart of the RA Schools. Usually closed to the public, this unique and significant space was designed in the 1860s, when the galleries and art school first moved to Burlington Gardens.
The semi-circular seating arrangement, based on an ancient design, traces its British history back to Hogarth’s Academy in St Martin’s Lane, c.1730. Directional light is used to enhance the delineation of the model’s musculature and aid life drawing, which has been practised in this room by generations of Royal Academy artists and students.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.
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