What Is Life Drawing ?
The human figure has been the subject of drawings since
prehistoric times. While the studio practices of the artists of antiquity are
largely a matter of conjecture, that they often drew and modeled from nude
models is suggested by the anatomical sophistication of their works. An
anecdote related by Pliny describes how Zeuxis reviewed the young women of
Agrigentum naked before selecting five whose features he would combine in order
to paint an ideal image. The use of nude models in the medieval artist's workshop
is implied in the writings of Cennino Cennini, and a manuscript of Villard de
Honnecourt confirms that sketching from life was an established practice in the
13th century. The Carracci, who opened their Accademia degli Incamminati in
Bologna in the 1580s, set the pattern for later art schools by making life
drawing the central discipline. The course of training began with the
copying of engravings, then proceeded to drawing from plaster casts, after
which the students were trained in drawing from the live model.
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