Life drawing session
Join us at the Society of Figurative Arts for the next life drawing session with Michael Mentler on July 12th, 10:30am – 2:30pm. Space is limited, reserve your spot via phone/text or e-mail.
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G.(R.)A.V.I.T.Y. Rhythms
In 1349 a group of Florentine artists formed a society for the study of the chemistry of colors, the mathematics of composition, etc., and that among these studies was the science of motion. Rhythm has been the movement of the Universe since time begin. There is rhythm in the movement of the sea and tides […]
Read MoreG.R.A.V.(I.)T.Y. INCIDENTS
INCIDENTS along the boundary of the enclosure let the draughtsman know something structurally significant has occurred. An INCIDENT is taking place that requires a determination from the draughtsman as to its cause. These Incidents result from Intersections, Interlocks, Insertions, Intervals or a combination thereof. They need to be understood by the draftsman; they describe how […]
Read MorePAINTERS HISTORY OVERLOOKED
The layman is often baffled that some of the painters they most admire seem to have fallen through the cracks of history. It is beyond their comprehension that painters who could paint so realistically could so easily be dismissed. They are agas when they also learn that if any of these ‘stalwarts’ made it to […]
Read MoreA COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS ABOUT OBSERVATION
Observational skills are an essential aspect but not the most paramount by far. The master draughtsman never draws what they see, they draw what they know to look for. The master draughtsman doesn’t shade to turn form, they SHAPE it with planes to create form. They don’t copy nature they interpret it. Their skill-sets are […]
Read MoreArtworks by Michael Mentler
Michael’s artworks can be acquired through a multitude of galleries. Some of his drawings and paintings are available via TSoFA website.
Read MoreTHE TRINITY OF MASTERY
Core Academic Training There are three areas where the apprentice has the most to learn. They are: drawing from life, drawing masterworks, and drawing from imagination. The apprentice must include a third of each in their studies as the world’s great masters have done for over six centuries. Practitioners in past centuries studied and analyzed […]
Read MoreARC AND ‘CONSERVATIVE REALISM’
Being an advocate of skill-based training and having spent several decades in the pursuit of those skills I am diametrically opposed to those who would purposefully dupe as many non-Socratic thinkers as possible in the name of ‘art’. The first glaring problem with ARC’s philosophy is that they have none. Philosophy would denote a point of […]
Read MoreARCHITECTONIC DISEGNO
The apprentice’s advancement requires a careful study of figure structure, as elucidated by Richer, Bridgman, and Hale, familiarizing themselves with the bony structure of the skeleton, and the location, origin, insertion, and function of the muscles. FIGURE STRUCTURE Architectonic Disengno The Architectural Design and Structure of the Human Form The skeletal system is compliant with […]
Read MoreTHE FOUR ELEMENTS OF MASS CONCEPTION
THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF MASS CONCEPTION The elements of mass conception are; the Idea or concept of the Form, determining the precise shape of the Form, establishing Form lighting, and the positioning of the Form in Space. The apprentice should make a daily practice of drawing cubes, spheres and cylinders. In the architectonic drawing, all […]
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