For this exercise I was fortunate that Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space was on display at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, being on loan for a limited period. I learnt a lot more from being able to see it and examine it closely’ far more than would have been possible from a …
Category: Research – Part 4
Jan 02
Research: Does the female nude exploit women for male gratification?
This was a very thought-provoking exercise – I had seen nude paintings and statues in galleries before, but had never really questioned the gender roles behind them. It was good to research contemporary women artists as I came across quite a number that I had not heard of before and I enjoyed researching their work. …
Dec 31
Research: Accuracy of representation of the human figure
Is there any tension between art based on the classical ideal and art pursuing anatomical accuracy? Some thoughts: Art based on the classical ideal is based not just on individuals or anatomical renditions but also on the proportions and balances between them. portrayals can be anatomically accurate but are they as aesthetically pleasing as those …
Dec 27
Research: Self-portraits
This was a good exercise that taught me a lot about self-portraits. I had seen them before, obviously, but I hadn’t realised how widespread they were, nor had I ever considered why an artist would paint a self-portrait. Two really useful books I read were Self Portraits by Liz Rideal and A Face to the …
Dec 20
Research Point: Portrait Sculpture
I used a couple of examples of portrait sculpture for this exercise; the sculpture of Sir Thomas Browne in Norwich City Centre and of Sir John Betjeman at St Pancras Station, London. I visited both sites to study the sculptures and learnt quite a lot from it. Prior to this course if I looked at …