Lon wrote:
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I rather think it would serve the portrait artist better to study how fabric interacts with the human form, rather than drawing the nude.
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I teach drawing and painting, and I've seen how students are disinclined to study clothing with full, focused attention, even though it is integral to a finished portrait. They are, however, willing to give lots of attention to the human figure, and this has proven to be an excellent bridge to the study of other subject matter. Figure drawing and painting builds hardiness in artists' ability to focus, enabling them to address the plebeian things that they resisted earlier. Also, without full awareness of (and full respect for) the body beneath, artists will have trouble with the convincing clothed bodies of their sitters.
That said, I found it difficult to pursue my interest in [nude] figure painting between commissions in my publicly accessible portrait studio, for fear that puritanical shoppers might get their sensibilities bruised. It is ironic that this essential practice could scare away customers, but I've seen it happen.
--Rebecca Alzofon
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