I have worked back into the watercolour bums i made earlier. I haven’t done anything amazing with them, i just used fine liner and a sharpie to create a more ‘realistic’ shape, to define the bums. I really love the simplicity of them!
Month: April 2016
Knitting Pattern
This is one of those things where you have an idea, and you cannot do anything else until you have it out of your head! The next step is to knit it.
Mixing Media -Hand painted and digital
Tate Liverpool – Matisse Bronze and Painting
I knew Matisse through his famous cut-outs, and had paid close attention to his paintings; however, i never knew he did large bronze sculptures! This exhibition at Tate Liverpool (Matisse in Focus) was a very welcome surprise and i loved it!
Whilst there, i took to my sketchbook and pencils by drawing from observation, picking out only bum related pieces of work (obviously). I always forget how satisfying and peaceful it is to draw in a gallery space. There is something very freeing about it (especially as it makes you feel like a real artist!).
From the observational drawings i completed whilst at the gallery, i went on to redraw the sculptures and painting to see how the shapes would change and alter. Proportions are not my strong point, so i also traced over the digital images of the works to create a more expressive version of my drawings. This is definitely a technique i will be taking forward, as it also helped me to understand how the colour layers are built up as the drawing grows.
H.Matisse, Standing Nude 1907, Nu debout, oil on canvas, influenced by African Art – this painting suggests he was influenced by carved figures
Observational Drawing (original drawing)
Drawn from original drawing
Traced in from Matisse’s painting
H.Matisse, Back II c.1913-14, Cast 1955-6, Nudes dos II, Bronze
Drawn from observation (original drawing)
Drawn from original drawing
Traced from image of the sculpture
H.Matisse, Back IV 1930, cast 1955-6, Nude das IV, Bronze
Drawn from observation
Traced from an image of the sculpture
H.Matisse, Back I c.1909-10, cast 1955-6, Nude dos I, Bronze
Drawn from observation (original drawing)
Drawn from original drawing
H.Matisse, Back III c.1916-7, Cast 1955-6, Nude dos III, Bronze
Drawn from observation (original drawing)
Traced from a digital image of the sculpture
H.Matisse, Reclining Figure II 1927, NuCouche, 2 me etat, Bronze
Drawn from observation (original drawing)
Traced from a digital i,age of the sculpture
Liz Wilson
I stumbled across these works by Liz Wilson on my reader. I loved them as soon as i saw them. Apparently they were created using the ‘Paper’ app that you can get on your ipad. I thought they were incredible and as the titles state, made me immediately think of Matisse.
The way the app joins up the sections that are being drawn is interesting because it creates big block sections, yet still allows the shape to be visible and take centre stage. The transparency of each section is wonderful as well, because it allows shapes underneath to be seen also.
2. Liz Wilson (Wilson, 2015)
I love every single one of these drawings and i really like that they are digital because it shows off a similar technique to that of Matisse’s in a different light. It shows how diverse it can be.
Each of the drawings show a very curvy subject with rounded hips. This shape is very flattering and feminine. Interestingly, the harshness of the straight lines from the individual shapes works well with the curves and make them more obvious.
This image is quite different to the others as there are solid blocks of colour, but this one has a simple outline to add extra pieces of detail. It is very simplistic, yet so effective. My favourite bit of this is the solid white block in the centre. I like the way the coloured sections frame this piece.
References –
- . (2015, 20th May). Matisse-like Nude. [Weblog]. Retrieved 27 March 2016, from https://lizstrongwilsondesign.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/matisse-like-nude/
- . (2015, 20th May). More Matisse-like Nude. [Weblog]. Retrieved 27 March 2016, from https://lizstrongwilsondesign.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/more-matisse-like-nudes/
- . (2015, 20th June). Just Another Nude. [Weblog]. Retrieved 27 March 2016, from https://lizstrongwilsondesign.wordpress.com/2015/06/20/just-another-nude/
Figure & Form
Figure and form have been explored throughout humanity, whether it be through symbolic meaning or by exploring ‘beauty’. It is interesting to see how the figures alter through the years and regions.
5. Venus of Kostenki (Moravia), Mammoth Ivory, Palaeolithic (Gravettian). 6. Venus of Vestonice (Moravia). Loess and powdered bone. Palaeolithic (Gravettian)
Venus of Sireuil (Dordogne). Calcite. Palaeolithic (Gravettian). Musee des Antiquites Nationales, St-Germain-en-Laye
Venus of Willendorf (Austria). Limestone. Paleaolithic (end of Gravettian). Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Palaeolithic Art
These figures are very shapely; curvaceous; volumptuous and rounded. They are steeped in meaning and symbolism which, for me, makes them for more beautiful!
Female Figure, painted on stone, Sefar, Tassili N’Ajjer, Sahara. Neolithic, about 3000 BC. P15.
Magic Figurine. Terrocotta. Prehistoric. Brooklyn Museum, New York, P21.
Neolithic Art and Egyptian Art
Left – The shape is very basic and almost looks printed, even though it has been painted to be very shapely and have big thighs.
Right – This figure is pear-shaped, with angular curves. It is not as rounded as the previous examples and is far more stylised.
Praxiteles (1st half of 4th century BC): Hermes (or copy?). Paros marble. About 350-330 BC. Olympia Museum. P.34
Aphrodite from Syracuse. Roman Marble copy after original of about 150 BC. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Syracuse, Italy. P35.
Pre-Hellenistic Art
First of all, I FOUND A MAN’S BUM! (they are weirdly hard to find)
They are both very smooth, almost appearing real as if they are actual people. These examples feel more realistic because they have been worked into so much in order to get the ‘perfection’ that was desired.
Dancing Bacchante. Wall painting from the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii. Late 1st century BC. P42.
The Rokeby Venus. About 1650. National Gallery, London. P.192.
Roman and Spanish Art
Left – I quite like the rough textures in this one, which has no relevance to the bum, but i feel it adds to the realism of the piece. The figure is quite square-hipped and nips in at the waist.
Right – This way of lying down is very flattering as it accentuates the curve of the hip which you can see from how the spine bends round. This gives her a very curvy shape.
Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947): Nude in front of the Fireplace. 1917. Musee de l’Annonciade. St-Tropez. P260
Prierre Bonnard (1867-1947): La Toilette. About 1922. Musee National d’Art Moderne, Paris. P260
French Art
Both of these images are painted from ordinary life settings. They look natural and not set up or ‘posed’. This is great because you get to see the bums as they are normally, not forced to look more curved and full.
Fritz Wotruba (b.1907): Standing Figure. Breccia. 1953-5. Musee National d’Art Moderne, Paris. P299.
European Sculpture
This form is an abstract of the human figure; a much simplified version that rethinks the ‘figure’ and transforms it into something unconventionally beautiful.
Henry Moore (b.1898): Reclining Figure. Study for sculpture in wood. 1940. Private Collection. p300
Henry Moore (b.1898): Reclining Figure. Bronze. 1951. Private Collection. p300
Henry Moore (b.1898): Reclining Figure. Marble. 1957-8. UNESCO Building, Paris. p300
Barbara Hepworth (1903-75): Two Figures (Menhirs).Teakwood. 1954-5. Formerly collection of the artist. p300
British Sculpture
I have always been a fan of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth (i think you have to be if you come from Yorkshire), the way they both turn figures into unconventional abstract forms is unique. Sometimes they still look like the human body, being obvious what has inspired the work, whereas other times they are so strange and disjointed from their inspiration that you aren’t quite sure where it has come from. Until, you see the prefiguring chain of sketches and drawings, which showcases the whole journey undertaken, up to the final outcome.
All images from this post were sourced from –
(1979). A Picture History of Art. Oxford: Phaidon Press Limited.
More Matisse (because you can never have too much Matisse)
I wanted to focus a bit more on Matisses other works as it is not something i have really looked at. His cut-outs are what have really made an impression on me, but i feel his creative style in other areas of his practice are really underrated.
Another male nude!! (I don’t just want to focus on woman, but find it difficult to find male subjects. I’m not just being weird. Ha!) Although in black and white, due to the printing colours of the book, the work still remains very expressive. It could appear a bit block-ish in terms of how the colours blend together, but if you blur your eyes, they blend seamlessly. It is a very impressive skill!
This piece is from the front view of the subject, but i really liked the style in which this piece was created. The lines are very simplistic, but accentuate the curves and shape, by nipping in the waist quite severely to reveal the full figure of the model.
All images from this blog post were sourced from –
Spurling, H. (1998). The Unknown Matisse, A life of Henri Matisse, Volume One: 1869-1908. United States of America: Hamish Hamilton Ltd.
Ellie P Smith - The Bum Project 