Renditions: Drawing from Life
Exhibition was on view from March 16th - April 9th, 2010
Exhibition Description
Renditions: Drawings from Life explored the art of figure drawing through representational gestures and incomplete translations realized in direct response to a live human body. Appalachian State students and faculty created all artworks in the exhibition during life drawing sessions offered by the Department of Art. Drawings on paper and on the gallery walls were historically tied to traditions rehearsed by master artists, whose figural studies furthered their understanding of the human body. The unfinished aesthetic of the drawings on view revealed the process embedded in the formulation of an idea and a finished work of art.
Figure drawing has been a subject of interest in the arts since pigmented silhouettes of human hands appeared on the ancient cave walls of Dordogne, France as early as 15,000 BCE. Although the practice is as timely as art itself, studies of the human figure continue to thrive in contemporary art today. The relationship between the artist and the live nude model is an engaging paradox, simultaneously direct and indirect. In a setting that lacks the cultural repercussions surrounding nudity, figure drawings from life allow the beauty of the human body to emerge as a timeless work of art.
The Spring 2010 Draw-A-Thon
Renditions: Drawing from Life happened in correspondence with the Spring 2010 Draw-a-thon, a free campus and community inclusive event that celebrated and promoted drawing, creativity, spontaneity, and artistic collaboration. Students, professors, and local artists (of all levels and ages) were invited to gather at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts to draw from life models during a two-day event with the goal of creating a casual, fun atmosphere that is open to the curious novice, the devoted expert, and every level in between. Participants were invited to be involved in the entire event or drop in as their schedule allowed.
Attendees had the option of drawing from live models (who posed in rotation though out the event), collaborated on a wall mural, worked on personal sketches or drawing projects of their own designs. This two-day event included many special model sessions that were all audience friendly and included a Drawing Round About with costumed models and a Portrait Drawing Session with Special Guest, Chancellor Ken Peacock.
Back to the previous exhibitions.
