Imagine that at the turn of the twentieth century there was an artistic parallel universe. A world where artists didn't feel the need to trash the traditions handed down from the Renaissance but instead used those practices to fuel new creative endeavors. Such a world is the one depicted in the art tome IN  ANOTHER LIGHT- Danish Painting In The Nineteenth Century by Patricia C. Berman. You can see the progression of one young master after another taking up the challenge laid down by their instructors and joyfully pursuing their ideals with vigor and good humor. I was aware of the work of Christian Kobke but not of his teacher C.W. Eckersberg. It's interesting to see how Eckersberg influences the young artist and also how Kobke manages to find his own voice. Another eye opener for me is the work of Vilhelm Hammershoi whom I had previously never heard of. His interiors are mesmerizing and I hope one day to see the actual works. I've always maintained that the art of Degas proved that modern works of art don't have to be poorly drawn and I would add the work of the Danish painters to that list.
      Well the long wait is finally over and Juliette Aristides follow up to her book CLASSICAL DRAWING ATELIER is finally out. CLASSICAL PAINTING ATELIER continues the great presentation of artworks where the reproductions alone justify the cost of the book. Ultimately not as satisfying as the first book, I'm not sure the author feels as firmly on the ground when discussing painting as she did with drawing, I would still recommend it. It does have some obvious gaps in linking up the various traditions; the influence of Sargent has been vastly underplayed and Daniel Graves should be given as much credit for keeping this whole Classical revival thing going as some of the other artists that are credited in the book. The painting demos could be better and might have been better served by using more master artists like John Angel rather than the work of her own students whose efforts, though well intentioned aren't always successful. I really enjoyed the fact that with almost every artwork reproduced there is a little caption with some insight or factoid. I'm sure with such a huge task and also trying to keep the book to a manageable size and priced where a novice could find it affordable there would inevitably be some things that would be left out, but all in all a commendable effort.
       I am a life drawing group junkie. I have been attending them on and off since I was in college and I still attend a little group that meets twice a month for a long pose three hour session. I can't imagine going for a very long period of time without drawing from the figure. It's rejuvenating for my soul and it's the ultimate testing ground for my thoughts, ideas and art strategies. Peter Steinharts book THE UNDRESSED ART- Why We Draw is a compilation of anecdotes, theories, philosophies all pertaining to the sub-culture of life drawing groups. Some of the stories made me laugh out loud and many of his thoughts nailed down exactly what makes the experience so great and enjoyable. Featured at the beginning of each chapter is a figure drawing usually made by one of the people mentioned in the following chapter. I've known people like this all my life; great artists who draw with a quiet and hard won ability that's not about grandstanding but about a slow acumulation of truths that reverberate in quietly beautiful ways. If you are attending life drawing groups get this book!, it was written for you.
      Reading Steinharts book reminded me of some funny situations that have happened to me in the world of "life drawing". When I first started to teach art in High School I ended up being in charge of running a life drawing class for students that met one day a week after school. The teacher who had been running it previously gave me a list of models to call. The first model I called had a young sounding voice and seemed very sweet and sincere. When she showed up she looked like she was about ninety years old and she reeked of alcohol. She disrobed, to the astonishment of my students, and then walked up to the modeling stand where she placed a tall stool. She then proceeded to crawl underneath the stool where she stood on her head and splayed her legs out spread eagle from underneath the top of the stool. My students audibly gasped but I carried on very business like as if this was perfectly normal and encouraged them to draw rapidly. Another incident that comes to mind was when I was in graduate school. I happened to be in a drawing class where most of the students were women and quite a few lookers in the bunch. A male model was hired to pose and he was set up in a room that was quite small without a modeling stand. He took a reclining pose and we proceeded to draw. He must have been fantasizing about one or two of the women because he became visibly excited. Not only that but his flag pole, so to speak, kept raising and lowering. No one said a word and I just assumed he would get up and excuse himself. He didn't and there was still quite a bit of time left to the pose. I didn't say anything I was waiting for my staid old proffesor to act but she decided the best strategy was to pretend it wasn't happening. After several minutes of watching him twitch I caught a case of the suppressed giggles and nearly choked. Afterwards noone said a word about it and the whole thing was very Twilight Zone-ish. Anyways , these are a few of the good reads that I've come across and I hope you have a chance to enjoy them.