Female Figure Sketching

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.

In the late 18th century, students in Jacques-Louis David's studio followed a rigorous program of instruction. Mastery in drawing was considered a prerequisite to painting. For about six hours each day, students drew from a model who remained in the same pose for one week. Before the late 19th century, women were generally not admitted to figure drawing classes. 

Beautiful Girl Sketch

BRIEF HISTORY OF PENCIL DRAWING

Famous Pencil Drawing Artists and their Works

Using a pencil has many advantages, one of which is that it is very easy to erase one’s mistakes. There are famous people in the world who preferred to use pencils. Vincent van Gogh, a notable artist used Faber-Castell pencils. According to him, these pencils were superior. He liked its blackness and found it easy to use.

Pablo Picasso used a pencil with his works of art. Jean Auguste- Ingres made the Portrait of Mme Guillaume Guillon Lethiere. John Constable used a pencil and a sepia wash in his Trees and a Stretch of Water on the Stour. These works are in different famous art galleries and museums around the world.

Statue of Liberty

Facts & Info about the Statue of Liberty:  She stands at the entrance of New York harbor. A 151-foot statue of a  woman holding a book and a torch on-high. 

"Liberty Enlightening the  World" was a gift of  friendship from the people of France to the United States to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American Independence.  Her American name is the ‘Statue of Liberty’ and she adorns not only New York’s harbor, but also Swan Ally Island in the Seine River in Paris and also Paris' Luxembourg Gardens.

Yes, there are three Lady Liberties!   They are all symbols of friendship, freedom and peace between the US and France. 

Nariman Point Mumbai

Nariman Point is the fourth most expensive office location in the world. It is home to some of the biggest financial and business establishments such as Air India, Central Bank of India, Indian Express, State Bank of India, The Oberoi Hotel and so on. Situated on the extreme southern gradient of Marine Drive, It is one of the posh locations in Mumbai. The vivacious city of Mumbai proudly boasts of this place as a main tourist attraction. Even more eye-catching is the breathtaking view of Arabian Sea, which is the highlight of Nariman Point that attracts tourists from all over the country and also the world. Moreover, the nightlife in Nariman Point is quite lively because of the presence of extraordinary star hotels, pubs and lounge bars. Read on to learn about the beginning and history of Nariman Point.

History

Till 1940, Nariman Point was a part of the Arabian Sea. Khursheed Framji Nariman was the one to propose the idea of converting the place into a business platform by reclaiming some part of the land. Khursheed Nariman, who was fondly called Veer Nariman, was an active Congress leader and served as a corporator to the Bombay Municipal Corporation. He suggested retrieving the area near Churchgate and in order to undertake this task, garbage from all parts of Mumbai (then Bombay) was dumped to fill the shallow sea coast. Concrete cement along with imported steel was used to construct this place. Then, the total cost was anticipated to be Rs.3 lakhs, which now would have cost Rs.10 crore. More reinforcement works were carried out later.

Following are some popular business institutions located in Nariman Point:

• Central Bank of India
• Mittal Towers, Air India
• The Royal Bank of Scotland
• Accenture Management Consulting
• Headquarters of Bank of India
• Kotak Mahindra Group
• Indian Express
• Birla Bhavan
• French Consolate and Trade Mission
• British Consulate and British Library
• National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA)
• Maker Chambers

History of Taj Mahal

The origin of the name "Taj Mahal" is not clear. Court histories from Shah Jehan's reign only call it the rauza (tomb) of Mumtaz Mahal. It is generally believed that "Taj Mahal" (usually translated as either "Crown Palace" or "Crown of the Palace") is an abbreviated version of her name, Mumtaz Mahal. 

The construction of this marble masterpiece is credited to the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who erected this mausoleum in the memory of his beloved wife, Arjumand Bano Begum, popularly known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in AH 1040 (AD 1630). Her last wish to her husband was "to build a tomb in her memory such as the world had never seen before". Thus emperor Shah Jahan set about building this fairytale like marvel.

The construction of Taj Mahal was started in AD 1631 and completed at the end of 1648 AD. For seventeen years, twenty thousand workmen are said to be employed on it daily, for their accommodation a small town, named after the deceased empress-'Mumtazabad, now known as Taj Ganj, was built adjacent to it. Amanat Khan Shirazi was the calligrapher of Taj Mahal, his name occurs at the end of an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj. Poet Ghyasuddin had designed the verses on the tombstone, while Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad Hanif was the superintendent of Masons. The designer of Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The material was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. The central dome is 187 feet high at the centre. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The chief building material, the white marble was brought from the quarries of Makrana, in distt. Nagaur, Rajasthan. 

Life Drawing

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.