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We, the artists of the 21st Century, live in the most exciting
time in the history of art. Beyond a reasonable doubt, we see the dawn of the Second Renaissance of Representational
Art and rising with the New Dawn is a resurgence of traditional figure drawing, painting and sculpture. The classroom
studios and the marketplace of the 1900s held precious little warmth for the human figure in art. During those bleak
decades, the art establishment suppressed the human figure (unless it was somehow mangled or desecrated) and oppressed
those few who stubbornly refused to abandon the traditional human figure to the darkness. But now, that desolate
century has passed and the human figure once again takes center stage, as it should, in the warm glow of the spotlight.
As the figurative artists of the Second Renaissance, we enjoy many
technological advantages unknown to our first Renaissance predecessors. Not the least of these advantages is photography.
As a visual reference for figurative artists, photographs provide extensive benefits.
Photographing a figure model is quite cost effective. You can take
scores of photographs of many different poses and many variations of each pose within the time it would take for
just one good rendering of one pose and position from a life model. The cost of photography is minimal especially
when compared to the expense of repeated modeling sessions. In addition, you keep the photos—thereby storing the
image of the model for future use.
Human forms in photographs are totally subservient to your own
timetable and convenience. This enables you to make art without having to coordinate your schedule with your models.
Your photographed figures, moreover, never need to take breaks. They hold their poses unwaveringly and untiringly
forever. If you do not have a pool of people willing to pose nude for you, or if you cannot attend organized life
drawing sessions, these photographs become indispensable.
If you choose to work from photographs, you can take the pictures
yourself or obtain them from professional sources such as this book. One advantage of professionally produced photo
references is increased cost effectiveness. It would take many days, cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and require
finding and hiring many models to produce the images you find in one Live Model volume. Another advantage is that
you will find a wider variety of poses than you would likely think of yourself along with multiple views of each
pose.
The use of photographed models is not without its gainsayers. The
most often cited shortcoming of photography is its distortion of tonal contrasts and hues. Improvements in modern
photographic technology significantly reduce this problem so that it is no longer the major issue that it once was.
Further10 more, the authors of Live Model Books have used these improvements to produce images of the human form
that come as close as possible to what you would see, if you were observing the models directly with your own eyes.
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This is not to say that photography has displaced the use of live
models. It has not yet and it never will. There will always be a good purpose for live models, particularly in the
training of artists. But, here too, is an application for photographic references such as this book. They can act
as visual encyclopedias helping you choose poses for your live models. And because a picture is indeed worth a thousand
words, you can show your models the position you want them to assume, thereby making it easier to direct them.
You can likewise use Live Model Books as encyclopedic references
even if you prefer to take your own photos. Simply pick out a pose that you like and show it to your model, and
then adjust it to your own vision. For instance, you may want to use different illumination, such as a “trap-door”
lighting effect. Or, you may want to see a slight variation in a pose. Using visual sources as “idea books” is especially
important if you plan to market your art and you want the figure imagery to be unique to your own creation.
The use of photographic references (particularly those of the non-pornographic
nude figure) will certainly be a part of the Second Renaissance and will likely precipitate a boom in figure art.
The New Dawn has broken and pioneering publishers, such as Live Model Books, are helping to bring the grace of the
human figure back into the light. It is an idea whose time has come.
About Butch Krieger
Butch Krieger is a noted portrait and figure painter. He conducts portrait workshops on flesh tones and getting
a likeness. He is a regular contributor to the Drawing Board section in “The Artist’s Magazine,” in which he focuses
on teaching the essentials of portrait and figure drawing. He also contributes to the “Pastel Journal,” “Watercolor
Magic” and “The Portrait Signature.”
Krieger taught Painting and Art History at Peninsula College in
Port Angeles, Washington. He has won many awards and his work appears in “Best of Portrait Painting.” For 18 years
he drew courtroom art for clients that included CBS Network News, CNN, AP, UPI and USA Today. During that time,
he sent over 5,000 sketches out over the airways.
Krieger’s first book “Watercolor Basics: People” teaches beginners
and advanced artists the essential techniques for mastering the clothed figure and portrait in watercolors.
Portions of this foreword are excerpted and adapted from his second book on figure drawing which was in progress
at the time of this printing. You can visit Krieger’s web site at www.butchkrieger.com.
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