The Society of Figurative Arts uses the word Disegno to refer to both Designing and Drawing much as the Renaissance Italians did. They recognized Drawing as classical design, a position we share. The system of Disegno used by Leonardo and discovered in the writings of Vitruvius 80-70 BC (The first Roman Architect) lead to Leonardo’s […]
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The word brain was left off intentionally because this book cuts ones brain out of the equation. The premise of Ms. Edwards notorious little book is that the Right-Side of our brain is not cluttered up with analytical, reasoning, decision-making functions, i.e., the thinking, creative stuff like the left-side is. (Never mind that the science […]
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(U)NDERSTAND As opposed to popular belief, the master draughtsman doesn’t copy what they see; they capture the gestalt, the simplest known visual aspects of the subject at hand. Drawing/design is, at its core, a creative decision-making process. The first task is to identify and quantify the model’s visual aspects, followed by a determination of which […]
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The nine-session introduction to Renaissance drawing systems begins on Friday, September, 6th. 10:00am to 11:00am. This program will consist of intensive one-hour demonstrations with anecdotes and critiques. Attendees will be given hand-outs, follow-up exercises and reading suggestions. The groups will be small for these classes, please reserve your spot ahead of time.
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Rudimenti di disegno Why the Italian subtitle? These fundamental design principles were rediscovered and further developed during the Italian Renaissance. Most of these systems pre-date the Renaissance, but for us, it is our most tangible historical resource. What exactly are Rudiments? Rudiments are the fundamentals, the building blocks, the essential elements, the founding principles of […]
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Sight-size and the Bargue debacle do not align with the main-stream of traditional artistic practices. There is an inherent danger that over absorption in this kind of academic study neglects the development of the students’ intuitive, creative abilities. It is the possession of said abilities, which will enable them to become an artist. IMITATION is […]
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As the name implies, Figurative Art is our main focus and has been for decades. The Society was created to provide fundamental skill-sets, aesthetic sensibilities, professional practices, and materials expertise to those individuals in pursuit of multiple creative endeavors. TSoFA focuses on individual creative potential and provides pathways to help them achieve it. We serve […]
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In figure drawing, GRAVITY and weight are the universal forces that control our sense of balance, rhythm, and harmony. Every living thing in the universe is in constant movement. That movement has one thing as a central theme–the force/line of gravity. How the body reacts to this force is what we are trying to capture. […]
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FRENCH ACADEMIES Chronicles of information are available about the French Academies from 1850 to the early part of the next century. They provided us an array of notable painters and educators: Willian Macgregor Paxton, John Henry Vanderpoel, John Singer Sargent, Thomas Eakins, George Bridgman, Kenyon Cox, Frank Vincent Dumond, to name a few. MUNICH SCHOOLIt […]
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More commonly referred to as ANATOMY or ARTISTIC ANATOMY is not just important; it is essential. If your mentor tells you, there is no need to know anatomy, or that it will get in the way, start looking for a new mentor. The only reason they would tell you that is because they know very […]
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