umbrella studio contemporary arts
UMBRELLA STUDIO CONTEMPORARY ARTS 482 Flinders Street, Townsville, QLD Monday – Friday 9-5 & Sunday 9-1 07 4772 7109 www.umbrella.org.au Umbrella Studio acknowledges the financial support of: the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.
DONNA FOLEY
LIFE AFTER NYC
ROB DOUMA 10 MARCH - 16 APRIL 2017 UMBRELLA STUDIO
Donna Foley : Artist Statement
Rob Douma: Artist Statement
New York Studio School provided an excellent experience of intense life drawing to hone out-of-practice skills. Further, and importantly, the critique sessions highlighted the importance of drawing the figure in art history and the value of transcribing from the masters to better understand composition, perceive edges, and observe figure and ground.
The drawing marathon at the New York Studio School was a thoroughly enjoyable experience both on personal and professional levels in an environment that was rich in expertise and energy. Aside from enhancing existing drawing skills, the marathon strengthened observation processes and through extensive critique sessions gave a broader understanding of the principles of drawing from a multitude of perspectives.
Considered by some as objectification of the model, the contextualisation of the nude in art is a matter of debate, consequently, participation in the practice of life drawing is thus for me, an ambivalent experience; not the actual drawing of the figure, rather the potential exploitation of the model for one’s own gratification. That said, the figure in art provides the narratives of our history, the metaphors by which we understand our existence and recount our own beliefs and expectations. Thus the drawing marathon renewed and reinvigorated my interest in drawing as a means to explore historic myths in the context of current theories and the political and social realm.
Life drawing and the requirement for full nudity is an out-dated and archaic practice, some argue. However, to fully appreciate the human form requires a transcendence of psyche, a dissociation of ego in order to purely objectify the form like no other process presents. Objectification excites negative emotions, with associations in opposition to contemporary views of gender equality issues. However the confrontational nature and the psychological environment it forces the artist to reside in, validates life drawing as an irreplaceable vehicle for elevating skills and remains the ultimate test of observation.