By Peter J. Firth
First, take everything you envisage about a life-drawing class: the serene class room, the hushed atmosphere, the strange sense of unease concerning the colossal personage around which every easel is positioned, and throw it out. This is a whole new approach, what the Sex Pistols did for rock n roll, RART are doing for life-drawing- a new edgy, vibrant, dynamic and sexy slant on a staple of every artist’s basic skill set.
A primary difference in the scheme of things is the class happens in the upstairs venue of a pub- the Cat and Mutton at the London Fields end of Broadway Market. After getting a drink from the bar, you ascend a spiral staircase and find yourself in an expansive room which has a feel of rugged magnificence- it’s not difficult to imagine the history of the place, during its early days in the 1700’s it was a hang out for East Anglian cattle traders.
Professional artists, Ita Maude Wooller and Leanne Eliot are the organisers and teachers of the class: glamorous Twenty-somethings who are always clad (for some reason best known to themselves) in identical white boiler suits. Their passion for Art exudes from them and feeds into the rest of the room during the session; they have a knack for putting people at their ease, friendly, approachable and enthusiastic about everyone’s work (mine being pretty poor, having scraped my GCSE Art).
As Leanne told me after the session “Well, the dynamics change intrinsically when you move from a classroom or studio into a pub, its more free, less restraint and tension. Life drawing is a practice that has become stagnant over the years, and our method of teaching breaks through this. Ita and I call the shots, dictate to the artists what materials to use and how long to use them for, so that any questioning or self-doubt is erased, and most of the time this creates a successful piece.”
The lesson plan is progressively fast-pace. There’s a time limit for each rendering, where the girls prescribe your materials to use. There is an exciting urgency to the evening. Ita and Leanne force you to ‘warm up’ with some quick sketches and then move on to some longer explorations. They move about the room encouraging, goading and bullying you (kindly) into making your own interpretation of the form in front of you. It’s usually an attractive local model, being paid in wine (Ita: “Look at Emma’s tits, they’re great tits, look at their contours!” ).
At the end of the class, you are invited to hang your work on the wall. After an interval, the class moves round this ad-hock exhibition to discuss what everyone has drawn. Leanne and Ita speak animatedly about the class’s drawings. Every participant is asked about their work- something, which could be daunting in other situations. There is a jovial and positive atmosphere to this part of the evening, and you always leave with a sense of satisfaction and personal improvement.
Anyone who enjoys drawing in the slightest- whether you’re a beginner, out of practice or an experienced artist, this class is for you. It’s a fun, affordable evening out. Perfect to go to alone, with friends or on even on a date.
R-ART every first Thursday of the month from June 4th 2010 at The Book Club.
