EXTRA CREDIT

With the end of the term around the corner I am offering the chance to complete an extra credit Drawing assignment. This is of course voluntary and is considered supplemental to the course requirements. Please chose one option below for the assignment. The options for the drawing are as follows :

1. PERCEPTION-

OLD MASTER COPY- Chose a drawing from an acknowledged Old Master an reproduce it. Old Master is a broad term and loosely encompasses European artists working between 1450 and 1800. This includes the likes of Leonardo and Michelangelo to Delacroix and Goya etc. Find a good reproduction and print it out or make a copy. From this, make your drawing the same dimensions and of the same materials. This is a good opportunity to have a conversation with the artist, to learn from them. Obviously, you will be considering the concepts we learned during this section Line, Value, etc.

2. ANALYSIS-

A. PERSPECTIVE- Chose an interior and make a perspective drawing. This should be a linear drawing (no Value) focusing on line quality as it relates to space. The perspective must be accurate, please refresh your memory with the blog post. All elements of your perspective system must be present, Horizon Line, Vanishing Point, Converging Parallel Lines, Ellipses, Scale of Shapes (objects). I recommend choosing something interesting and not just what is convenient. Go to a museum (Met), Grand Central Station, The Cloisters, Whole Foods Cafe, etc. Dimensions of the drawing are up to you and I would recommend pencil.

B. PARALINE/ ORTHOGRAPHIC DRAWING- Chose an object and make a Paraline drawing. Please represent the object from three sides (front view, top view, right view) These drawings are to be composed on a single piece of paper and measured to be equidistant. All corresponding measurements of the object should be the same throughout the three drawings. These drawings are to be clean and precise.

WEATHER PROJECT

WEATHER-

the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, cloudiness, moisture, pressure, etc.The term is very broad and may include definitions beyond the one presented here. Please consider all possible definitions as it pertains to the atmosphere, actions caused by the atmosphere, etc.

Below are examples of various artist whose work encompasses the concept of weather or a similairity to the concept.

Walter DeMaria

James Turrell

James Turrell

Mark Rothko

Jackson Pollack

Julie Mehretu

James McNeil Whistler

Turner

Claude Monet

Claude Monet

Vija Celmins

John Constable

Inspiration from the concept of weather can be diverse, from the trace of weather on the landscape, to the photographic documentation of the temporal, to the prognastication technology, to the forecast format.

Consider a statistical , a atmospheric/ psychological, diagramatical, or documentary perspective. Examples might include: an almanac, weather on your date of birth, recording the weather for 10 days, a singular tree documented through various weather, weather affecting the city, weather changing the pyschological feeling in one location, radar images, storm tracking etc.

The first step in this project is to gather inspiration. With the ten zip- lock bags you have been given, collect inspirational samples. May include sketches, a drawing a day of a particular tree, photos, newspaper clippings, charts, a weathered stone, articles, leaves, recording tide marks, etc. Try and stretch out your normal mode of brainstorming. Remember, the final artwork must be a drawing- it is up to you to decide the format, location, materials, to best express your idea.

IDEATION AND INVENTION

So far students have developed the skills, sensibilities and competencies that allow them to objectively view, analyze, and represent three-dimensional reality through the practice of drawing. Now they are equipped to apply this knowledge into the realm of the imagination. In this open-ended exercise students will work with the instructor and propose their own individual project program and work plan. This is the first opportunity to apply their knowledge of drawing practice and conventions, in a more creative manner. The standards of evaluation will be tailored individually and determined by the success in accomplishing the particular project objectives as agreed by student and instructor.

In this portion of the course we will explore the process of inspiration and concept, method, and finished drawing. Through this process the goal is to expand the boundaries of drawing while seeking to find personal voice. Below are several examples of artists approaching drawing and ideas from different perspectives.

Mark Lombardi

Marl Lombardi

Robert Rauschenberg

Cia Gou- Qiang

Dane Patterson

Dane Paterson

Response to Compass in Hand

Please see the MoMA show listed below. Before going obtain a definition of drawing (or make your own). With this concept in mind see the show. Write two brief paragraphs in response to these issues: (1) Explain how the work of the show challenged or confirmed your conception of drawing. (2) Select one piece (mentioning Artist, Date, Material) and reflect on why it specifically embodied your reaction.

Post your comments to the blog below and bring a ticket stub to class to receive credit.

Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection

April 22, 2009–January 4, 2010

Contemporary Galleries, second floor

The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection, acquired by the Museum in 2005, is an extraordinary collection of over 2,500 contemporary works on paper. Through a selection of more than three hundred works, this first comprehensive presentation of the gift surveys the various methods and materials within the styles of gestural and geometric abstraction, representation and figuration, and systems-based and conceptual drawings. The exhibition brings together historical works by Lee Bontecou and Joseph Beuys; Minimalist and Conceptual works by Donald Judd and Hanne Darboven; detailed narrative drawings by Elizabeth Peyton and John Currin; collages by Amelie von Wulffen, Mona Hatoum, Lucy McKenzie and Paulina Olowska; and large-scale installations by Nate Lowman and Ján Mancuska, to name just a few. In its exploration of diverse artistic tendencies at the turn of the twenty-first century, this exhibition proudly celebrates the panoramic state of drawing today.

SKULL AND HEAD

The skull provides the basis for understanding the form of the head. The three large masses of the head are the cranium, the skeleton of the face and jaw. Consider the forms of these masses simply. The cranium as a sphere, the face as a flat plane that descends off the cranium and tapers toward the chin and the jaw as a horse shoe shape that hinges underneath. Notice where the skull protrudes to provide landmarks, where it recedes under the flesh. (Following two examples are from Szunyoghy's Human Anatomy for Artists)

The profile of skull. Notice the ear hole location, not centered but 2/3 of the way toward the back. Also see how the head rests slightly forward on the neck.

Below we have an example from Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy. Here he illustrates some of the muscles in the head. Good to consider as for developing from and gesture in the face.

BEGINNING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HEAD

In the construction of the head, it is better to begin with a cube in stead of the familiar oval. The oval is non -specific, the eye won't rest on a curve and cannot find a register point. The cube gives a sense of mass, perspective, foreshortening, angle/ tilt. Also importantly, it gives a sense of the third edge. From this starting point we can begin thinking of planes as they relate to the head - top, front, two sides, back, and bottom.

The basic measurements for the cube are 2/3 wide, 3/3 high. The side of the cube (profile) is 7/8 of the height. ( From the profile it looks ALMOST square, from the front (face) it is a tall rectangle.)

The basic proportions and location of the facial features can be constructed as the example demonstrates (Example is from the website Draw23.)

-A Vertical Line down the center from top of head to chin. Through this line we see the Bilateral Symmetry of the features.

-A Horizontal Line is placed at the halfway point. This indicates the lower lids of the eyes.

- The whole height can be again divided, but this time in thirds. The upper horizontal line indicating the middle of the forehead, the second the base of the nose. In the bottom third, two thirds of the way up to the nose is the center line of the mouth.

- The corners of the mouth line up vertically with the center of the eyes.

- The top of the Ear lines up horizontally just above the eye at the eye brow.

-The bottom of the ear lines up with the base of the nose.

Most of these guidelines can be drawn in on the cube, allowing you to place the head spatially and in perspective.

Below we see an example from Bridgman's Constructive Anatomy demonstrating the planes in the head. These are very basic, but a good way to begin to refine your head form.

Below is an example from Szunyoghy's Human Anatomy for Artists. It further illustrates some of the agreed upon proportions in the head. Included are the space between the eyes equals one eye width. The whole width of the head is five eye widths. Also illustrated is the top and bottom of the ear as they relate to the eye brow and nose (good marker). The width of the nose is also illustrated to be approximately the space between the eyes.

IMPORTANT NOTE*- All these proportions were largely agreed upon during the Renaissance, and are considered guides, not hard and fast rules. they do not necessarily account for the variation of people, races, ages, etc.

Below is another Bridgman example providing some insight into the neck and head the muscles track and connect with the skull. Of particular note is the Streno -cleido- mastoid (#8) a great reference point in figure drawing, spanning from the clavicle to behind the ear.

INTERPRETATIONS OF THE TORSO

Artists have long studied internal anatomy to better represent the external human form. Anatomy elements such as bone , muscle, proportion are emphasized according to the artist's historical time period and objective. For example Albrecht Durer (Norther European Renaissance) emphasized the muscle structure to idealize the human form to a god like state. Contemporary renderings of Comic books heroes such as Spiderman, similarly emphasize the muscle anatomy making the characters more than human. Various examples of the human form in Western Art are below.

Antonio Lopez Garcia

John Singer Sargent

John Singer Sargent

Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele

Albrecht Durer

Marvel Comics Cover

DC Comics Cover

ANATOMY- TRUNK

The strength of all figure drawing comes from a mixture of formal skill and anatomical knowledge. Understanding the human body, interior as well as exterior, is essential. Through out history many cultures have preoccupied themselves with depicting the human form. Western Civilization Art reached its investigative height during the Renaissance, also a coinciding focus of science and art. Below is an example of Leonardo DaVinci's Vitruvian Man. This is a clear demonstration of the need to make sense of the human form- in this case the perfection of human form and its relation to the perfect language of Geometry, the perfect circle and square. The figure is inscribed with its proportions measured and reach touching these shapes. Also note Leonardo's proportions for the figure using the measure of a head.

In 1747 we see the example of one of the most accurate representations of the human skeleton in the work of Bernard Siegfried Albinus- Corporis Humani. The following three examples are taken from Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters, Robert Beverly Hale. Here we see the human skeleton displayed not as static, but as if in motion. All bones and structures are presented in fine proportion, accuracy and rendering. Of specific interest is the TRUNK, or the area composed of the Cage and Pelvis. Please note the volume and form of each of these structures and how the artist represented them using line and value. Below is the Ventral position.

The Dorsal Position.

The Lateral Position.

The following four examples are taken from Human Anatomy for Artists by Andras Szunyoghy and Dr Gyorgy Feher. Below is an example focusing on the trunk. Note the relationship of the shapes, proportions, and location of the cage and pelvis. Also see how the top of the cage tapers and slips up into the shoulder girdle (a horizontal ring composed of the clavicles and scapula.) Notice the hollow in the pelvis as it completes the volume of the cage.

Below is an example of just the Cage (or Thorax.) It is important to note the volumetric shape of this structure (the space inside is loosely egg shaped). Again we see the taper at the top, and the opening at the bottom. All ribs radiate from the spinal column and MOST attach at the sternum, some being short arcs others being long loping arcs. It is important to note that these ribs are not cylindrical curves, but thick flat curves, and in most cases with flex joints (look just to the left and right of the sternum to see a plane shift at that junction.)

Below is the Dorsal View of the Cage. Here we see the spinal column and ribs reaching around to the front. Again we see a plane shift on these flat rib shapes- they are not round rings, but a segmented arc (think about breathing and how important it is for some flex to happen.)

In this and the last example note how the artist presented the sense of volume inside the cage, through the ribs we see the continuation of each rib but it recedes through value shift and line (possibly atmospheric perspective!)

Below we see the Dorsal trunk (back) focusing of the shoulder girdle. Note the shape and form of the scapula, where it lies on the cage, the angle at which it rises to meet the clavicle on the front.

Below is an example of the Pelvis take from The Human Figure, Jon H. Vanderpoel. Here we see a good description of contour line as it relates to the undulating form of the pelvis. Notice the butterfly shape of the structure and the hollows within. Important landmarks are the ilium crest (upper most point of the pelvis, the semicircular shapes) and the Ischium (rings at the bottom) and the Sacrum (on the backside the area around the Coccyx)

Here is an example of the Spinal Column (Human Anatomy for Artists) illustrating the three views and most importantly the gentle S- like curve. Notice the shapes of the vertebrae, cylindrical in front and wing protrusions in the back. Also observe the relative size of the vertebrae big to small top to bottom.
Another Example from John Vanderpoel illustrating the angles of these forms with the body. Note how and where they open and constrict on opposite sides.