…when she was bad, she was horrid…
I needed a break from all of the trials and tribulations that life throws at you on a holiday. This 4th of July I was juggling food preparation, an overgrown garden, and a malfunctioning hot water heater, while putting out all of the other fires that occurred during our trip to Santa Fe. For a short while that afternoon I escaped, hiding in my office and pulling up some pictures of painted details. I needed something to make me laugh.
On multiple occasions, I have stressed the importance of good artistic training, whether it is at a formal atelier or in a studio arts class. Good scenic artists need instruction in all areas – layout, drawing, painting, color mixing, netting, etc. However, the most important skill for a scenic artist is drawing all subjects well. A scenic artist cannot create a successful painting unless the drawing is correct. No matter how well you mix colors or master certain brush strokes, if your composition is poorly drawn, the final composition will never look good.
Drawing and rendering must go hand and hand with learning how to become a successful scenic artist. It is always apparent when a scenic artist did not receive adequate training in figure drawing or architectural studies. You need to really know how something is put together, whether it is a body or a building, to successfully draw it.
Our daughter returned home from college this week for the holiday and shared a picture of a lion sculpture that she recently encountered I Kansas City. The Greek sculptor had never seen a lion before, so he gave his version the hips of a cow, the vertebrae of a goat, the ribs of a horse, and human eyes, while posing the animal as a playful dog.
My daughter giggled uncontrollably as she shared the image. The artist obviously did not understand how a lion was “put together.” The same can be said for scenic artist who does not understand human anatomy.
Figure drawing remains a challenge for many scenic artists. I have encountered many examples where the scenic artist had no concept of proportion, or even how many toes to paint. Here are a few examples that stress the importance of figure studies and always brighten my day; they make me feel a little better about my own skills.
Whenever I look at these pictures, I think of the nursery rhyme that starts: “There once was a girl who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead…”For the scenic artist I continue the rest of the rhyme: “When she was good, she was very, very, good. And when she was bad, she was horrid.” Some historical scenic art for the stage was truly horrid. Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean its always good.
To be continued…
Mae West:”When I am good, I am very good. And when I’m bad, I’m better!”