Some time ago I was an art student struggling with Charles Bargue´s drawings. I fully understood the reasoning behind this drawing practice but it was not quite my cup of tea.
Bargue, plate 22. I started on this drawing April 14, 2014. On June 22, 2015 I wrote: "I´ve decided that this drawing is a finished chapter. Sorry Bargue!" My teacher said it was OK to quit but the drawing was not OK.
What kept me going while I was battling with plate no. 22, was the firm conviction that the benefits of this method by far outlasted the drawbacks. My teacher Farigh Ghaderi used to say: "When you know the rules, you can break the rules".
So you can imagine that when I encountered the art of Joan Eardley, a British-Scottish artist, I was blown away. Her drawings and paintings from Townhead, a poor part of Glasgow, were both revelatory and revolutionary to me. The portraits of the Glasgow slum children are anything but ingratiating. It´s not a cool observation from the part of the artist; with great tenderness she depicts their vulnerability with bold brush strokes and vibrant color splotches. I just love her ragged and raw style. Her art is an inspiration to me, now when I´m entering the phase of my life when I´m allowed to break the (art) rules. See some of her artwork in the gallery below.
Here´s an article about Joan Eardley in the Guardian.
A PORTRAIT INSPIRED BY JOAN EARDLEY
Untitled, 28 november 2017, Cretacolor hard pastel on Canson paper.