“On Henna Seated”
by Luis Colan

“Approach your subject in all humility and reverence – make yourself highly sensitive to its beauty.” -Charles W. Hawthorne

She sits fully exposed on a cold, unwelcoming foldout chair. It’s the dead of winter and an early hint of spring sun peeks through the windows of the large studio where, surrounded by strangers, Henna sits and poses. With goose bumps on her skin she focuses her gaze past the circle of students surrounding her, to the other end of the room. It is early morning. Most of the students are still waking up as the sound of paper, pencils and charcoal, and the smell of coffee fill the cold air. A couple of spot lights do a poor job of keeping Henna warm within the concrete walls of the Art Students League.  Her skin, smooth and firm, reveals her fragile frame as she searches for a pose she will be comfortable in for three hours.

This is the setting where Henna Seated was created. I began with a few quick lines, trying to get a feel for her body’s proportions in relation to my paper. As I slowed down I started to focus more on the details of her torso. I was intrigued by her thin appearance, by the muscular definition of her stomach and her bone structure as seen in her rib cage and chest. These elements made a wonderful play of soft and hard edges, all accentuated by the light coming through the large windows. But what held my attention the most was the delicate tilt of her head, a position she held for periods of twenty minutes. My eyes were drawn to a face that had surely seen a lot throughout the years. The meek look in her eyes touched me, so I started to work against time to capture her sad face. Was she happy being there? Is this what she had hoped to be in her young years, a nude model for art’s sake? I kept looking, staring at her face but couldn’t get an answer. But I wasn’t there to get an answer; I was there to draw her. So I looked down to my paper and continued working with my pencil, trying to catch as much as I could of her.

Drawing the figure is one of my major indulgences. Nothing is more beautiful than a nude showing the strength of the human form, either in action or at rest; there is always movement to be found when a model is seated. One of Michelangelo’s greatest gifts was his ability to show a powerful heroic nude, full of grace and drama, in a sitting position. I remember the first time I saw a sketch of the Libyan Sibyl. It still moves me to this day. She twists her torso with such grace as she holds a book. The intricacy of the pose, the twisting and holding, causes her anatomy to display strength and an almost godly presence. It is said that God created man after His own appearance, and this is what Michelangelo searched for in all of his portrayals of the human form; the presence of divine beauty.

I approached Henna Seated much like I approach any other figure drawing; the same way Michelangelo did. It’s never about having a polished piece. Instead, it’s about the search for movement and life, about finding counter points within the body, and about the curves and proportions of that body. Figure drawing equals research. This approach forces immediacy. I most enjoy capturing the moments—the glances—that inspire each line in the drawing. This constant exchange—the dance between the artist and the paper—creates the rhythm that will become apparent in the drawing itself.

more:

• Luis Colan’s Blog
• Official Website