Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

A fundamental survey of figure painting concepts and techniques. Class sessions will incorporate problems concerning the use of value, monochrome hues, color and temperature contrasts, perspective, compositional structure, art historical and literary references as they relate to figurative painting. During the first half of the term, emphasis will be placed on figure anatomy and proportion. In earlier sessions, students will be encouraged to work on a large scale, in a gestural fashion, for maximum familiarity with the figure, while in later sessions, more time will be spent on individual poses, working with greater detail and designing more elaborate compositions. Lectures and slide presentations will include historical and contemporary examples of the figure painting discipline. Homework assignments will emphasize creative elaboration on paintings begun in class. This term, the first two weeks will be devoted to painting a symbolic portrait, with students working from photo-based references. 

 

Requirements: 

 

 

To facilitate growth in the student's overall painting ability through critique and practice; to emphasize the mental processes (concentration and careful observation) as key to understanding form; to provide the student a technical understanding of painting methodology, including a basis for further materials experimentation; to encourage artistic discourse and independent learning.

 

There is no required text, but the following books are available from the instructor for reference: Andrea Karnes, Women Painting Women, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 2022 Lauren P. Della Monica, Bodies of Work: Contemporary Figurative Painting, Schiffer.