About This Work

Under an Hour A quick model study, inspired by a photograph by Laure Albin Guillot. After my graphite pencil drawing ‘Art Deco Nude - 23-08-22’ I frantically worked on my current oil painting in progress. That was until this morning at 10 AM when I got chased out of my apartment by my cleaning lady. Without nothing much at hand I finished this drawing I started yesterday evening when I was waiting for my students. They came early, so I had only the rough set-up. This morning I completed it and kept it under an hour. Such was the initial plan just as the first one in this series, called ‘Art Deco Nude - 05-08-22’. I quite get the hang of it and by now I fully revalue the Ingres paper. I didn’t use that one for decades and I feel like using it a lot more in the future. Laure Albin Guillot Last evening, after painting all day long, my mind wasn’t set on picking out a suitable motif for a new dawing. So I randomly picked one out. I happen to have that stash of old photographs, some Victorian, Edwardian but also a lot of Art Deco. I didn’t hear from Laure Albin Guillot before but I googled other pictures as well. I can tell you that instantly I became her fan, next to Walter Bird. This kind of photography I like the best. It’s a perfect play of light and dark and never quits to inspire me. I hope I will be able to take similar pictures of my models with better lighting one day. Sketchy When I started this one I was in for a little roundism. For no particular reason it became rather impressonistic, merely a sketch. Maybe that is due to the rough setup. I didn’t measure proportions too much, relying on skills to see things on sight. It is as if I almost want to provoke myself to make mistakes. I master the art of finetuning proportions by comparing scales and employing thorough anatomical knowledge. That quality also is my weakness like all qualities have two sides. Perhaps I suffer from the fear of rationalizing beauty to death so time for a new mindset. Reviewing this drawing I see that the posture is exact, only some proportions a bit off. I don’t mind. It shows the choices I made and therefor I don’t consider them mistakes. Pitt Graphite Matt pencil (Faber-Castell) drawing on Hahnenmühle paper (24 x 31 x 0.1 cm) Artist: Corné Akkers