Life Drawing Randburg is a casual space that is aimed at being conducive to going deep with your/our art practice, that is safe but also brave, inclusive, diverse and authentically creative. Basically about artistry in as many ways as there are participants, to learn more about the approach we take consider reading Radical Artistry Life Drawing: An Alternative Approach to Life Drawing
I’ve been running regular life drawing sessions since around 2017.
They take place roughly monthly consecutively over a weekend; Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday mornings and are limited to 6 artists in addition to myself and the model. All skill levels are welcome as are all shapes and sizes of models.
More details can be found in this Google Doc.
Bookings and scheduling happen through a WhatsApp group, click here to join.
The schedule is subject to change, join the WhatsApp group or call André for the latest schedule.
Fridays 3 pm for 3:30 to 7, Saturdays & Sundays 9 am for 9:30 to 1 pm.
A few snapshots from sessions during 2022:
Life Drawing: A Practice of Personal and Social Transformation
Life drawing, the art of creating a representation of the human form through drawing or painting, is a practice with a long history dating back to ancient civilizations that has been celebrated for its ability to capture the beauty and complexity of the human form, but there is much more to it than just that. Here we will explore the various ways in which life drawing can promote personal growth and self-expression, but also inclusivity, and social change, bear with me.
One key aspect of life drawing is its ability to serve as a means of exploring and expressing one’s inner spiritual world. Kandinsky, a pioneer of abstract art who studied believed that the practice of creating art was an important way of accessing and expressing one’s inner spiritual reality (Kandinsky, “On the Spiritual in Art,” 1905). This idea is supported by the theory of salutogenesis, which posits that people are motivated by a desire to find meaning and purpose in life (Antonovsky, “The Sense of Coherence,” 1987). The act of creating art, including life drawing, can provide a means of connecting with one’s sense of self and finding meaning in the world (Csikszentmihalyi, “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,” 1990). Seligman’s concept of “flourishing” emphasizes the importance of living a fulfilling and meaningful life (Seligman, “Flourish,” 2011), and Dweck’s theory of “growth mindset” highlights the role that effort and learning can play in personal growth and development (Dweck, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” 2006).
In addition to its potential for personal growth, life drawing can also be a way of promoting inclusivity and diversity. By creating art that is authentic and respectful, and that recognizes the inherent qualities and agency of the human form, we can work towards a more just and dignifying world. From a radical or socialist-libertarian perspective, the commercialization of art, including the sale of life drawings, reinforces capitalist values and further entrenches systems of exploitation (Marx & Engels, “The Communist Manifesto,” 1848). By creating art that is liberated from the constraints of the market, we can use life drawing as a means of self-expression and social critique.
Finally, life drawing can be seen as a way of recognizing and honouring the inherent qualities of the human form as an object. In object-oriented ontology (OOO), objects, including non-human objects, are seen as having agency and independence from human perception and cognition. This perspective suggests that the practice of life drawing can be a way of acknowledging the “object-ness” of the human body and its independence from human interpretation or projection. OOO also emphasizes the importance of respecting the agency of objects, including the human form and recognizing the inherent value and worth of all objects (Bryant, “The Democracy of Objects,” 2011).
In conclusion, the magic of life drawing lies in its ability to capture the beauty and complexity of the human form in all its diversity. It is a practice that can promote personal growth, self-expression, inclusivity, and social change, and that has the power to enrich our lives and help us see the world in a new and meaningful way. By creating art that is authentic and respectful, and that recognizes the inherent qualities and agency of the human form, we can work towards a more just and dignifying world. So, life drawing is not just an art form, but also a means of personal and social transformation.
By André S Clements and OpenAI’s ChatGPT (‘v3’, Dec 15 version), on 2023-01-07.