The Vitruvian Man

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 13.12.12 — Courtesy of Jon Schwochert

Over the last week I have been brushing up on my knowledge of the human anatomy; quite ironic given that I opted out of Biology GCSE and swore never to return to the subject again.

I did not anticipate that I would become a yoga teacher, nor the Director of a Fine Art School based in Battersea, London. Both have precipitated this return to the textbooks. As I consulted the latest images of the human body in my yoga reference books, London Fine Art Studios’ co-director regaled me with the details of George Bridgman’s 1920 edition of Constructive Anatomy.

I am in this way reminded that knowledge is not finite, nor delimited by a profession and that any good student will be as, if not more aware of what they do not know compared to what they do know. A conversation with a student reaffirmed this:

“before I came to the studios I thought I could draw and paint, now I realise that there is so much I do not know. It is both challenging and inspiring, best of all it is exciting to see the improvement and know that I can be even better!”

At London Fine Art Studios we offer a range of courses throughout the year. Last week we held a 3-day Figure Drawing & Painting Course. The over-subscribed half-term intensive offered the opportunity to hone and direct skills further. True to form, and to their credit, students gathered like artists around free food!

As they grappled with proportion, gesture, values and colour they simultaneously deepened their understanding of human anatomy. It is timely that my co-conspirator should now be writing a series of articles on working from the life figure; and that I can add to the discussion and swap notes from a yoga perspective. Knowledge converges and we are all enriched and encouraged to push the boundaries of our discipline in order to be better.

It is surprising and hugely instructive to realise that the forehead makes up almost half of the human skull and that, therefore, the eyes are much further down towards the middle of the head. It transpires that most of us do not really see what is in front of us! It is also useful to note that the nose acts as a vertical (-ish) axis against which the eyes are the horizontal (more or less). For this reason any tilt of the head implies an equal and relative slanting of the horizontal axis, also a reference point for ears, mouth etc.

Revisiting these principles of anatomy and drawing is thrilling and allows us all to progress in leaps and bounds. My eye detects more keenly how the displacement of the pelvis affects the line of the shoulders, how it also causes the leg muscles to tighten differently and the shadow shapes to shift.

As with any self-respecting art school, and indeed any discerning artist, we do not assume knowledge or seek to work in isolation. Leonardo de Vinci’s legacy is great and enduring precisely because it crosses disciplines.

At London Fine Art Studios our philosophy is no less rigorous. The teaching is classically inspired, drawn from the techniques of the European Masters, but it also integrates other subjects and interests to provide a solid foundation with the potential for individual style.

The atelier methodology is the final and essential component of our training. It is the connective tissue running through all we do: students are assured comprehensive and supported instruction through 1:1 critiques and demonstrations, they also learn through observing their peers and tutors working alongside them.

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