attempting to draw a naked human being

Andrew Brown (1996) Sanguine Figure. Pastel and charcoal on paper.

The Homo discens website is peppered with figure drawings by the author. Ontological and epistemic aspects of the drawing process echo many of the perplexing questions and themes addressed in the Homo discens project.

In Homo discens figure drawing is a leit-motif. Figurative drawing is a distinct, non-linguistic form of representation that is learned. Problems encountered when attempting to draw a naked human being are problems of visual perception, motor skill, recognition, intuition and memory. Language, emotion and reason also loom large and invariably come into play.

Figure drawing boils down to sequential marks on a page that have traced an individual artist’s encounter and connection with a fellow human being. Rendering the model as a physical object is an opportunity for capturing something much more profound than the patterns of light and shade that meet the eye. Echoing the title Gauguin’s great painting, “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” the artist can be, quite literally, attempting to draw the human condition.

Futile Quest for Photographic Likeness

Figure Drawing as Embodied Perception

Authenticity

Gauguin’s D'ou venons nous? Que sommes nous? D'ou allons nous?

Why is drawing the figure seen as the most difficult artistic challenge?

What is the difference between a naked person and a nude?

Can we differentiate between photographic realism and optical realism? What is gestural drawing and why is it an important facet of figure drawing? What is the relationship between drawing as a connective process and a successful finished product?

Can the drawing page be viewed as a surrogate visual cortex? What are the gains (and losses) arising from the artist’s innate talent, disposition, artistic training, and years of experience in the studio? What about the particular social and cultural niche in which the artist is embedded?

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Forms of Representation