LINE

GESTURE
AND FORM Dancers at the Barre, ca. 1873
Edgar Degas
Oil thinned with turpentine on prepared green paper
472 x 625 mm
EDGAR DEGAS
WHEN
July 19, 1834 - September 27, 1917
WHY WE CARE
One of the founders of impressionism
WHAT HE DID
Over half his works depict dancers
Depicted modern life
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
Observe how he depicts movement

Torso of a Dacer
oil on canvas

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
EDGAR DEGAS
Femme debout
Gouache and peinture à l’essence
on brown paper
24.4 x 20.5 in

Ballet Dancer Standing

ca. 1886-90
Baltimore Museum of Art

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
 ERIC FISCHL
WHEN
Born 1948
WHY WE CARE
His subtlety and technique of creating
motion has been compared to Degas
WHAT HE DOES
Painter and sculptor
Called the “painter of the suburbs”
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
Creating movement and form; taking Untitled, 2001.
Watercolor on Paper.
advantage of the medium 40 x 60 inches.

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
ERIC FISCHL

Untitled, 2005. Untitled, 2005. Untitled, 2005.

Watercolor on Paper. Watercolor on Paper. Watercolor on Paper.
60 x 40 inches 60 x 40 inches 60 x 40 inches

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
MIRIAM MARTINCIC
WHEN
Born in 1974
WHY WE CARE
She pushes the boundries of beauty
and precision
WHAT SHE DOES
Sculptor, illustrator and graphic
designer
Deals primarily with the human form
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
Use of line and distortion N
5”x3.5”
pen on paper

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
 MIRIAM MARTINCIC

Pulling Pants Shared Space

5.5”h x 3.5”w ink on paper
pen, pencil, marker, paper 9” x 6”

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
KATHE KOLLWITZ
WHEN
July 8, 1867 - April 22, 1945
WHY WE CARE
She offers a searing depiction of the
human condition
WHAT SHE DID
Portrays victims of poverty, hunger
and war
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
Expresses emotion through mark
making
Self Portrait Facing Right
lithograph
1938

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
KATHE KOLLWITZ
Call of Death
1934
charcoal on laid paper

Self Portrait
color lithograph
Self-Portrait 1898
charcoal drawing
1924

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
TIMOTHY van LAAR
WHEN
Born 1951
WHY WE CARE
His juxtaposition of seemingly random
objects asks the viewer to construct
meaning
WHAT HE DOES
Painter, writer and professor
Deals with shape, form, and color
WHAT WE CAN LEARN
Blending and contrasting of different
Knot techniques
oil on canvas 48X48
2008

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
TIMOTHY van LAAR

Heron Gems
oil on canvas, 48X48 oil on canvas, 16X20
2009 2006

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM
THE PROJECT
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES TIMELINE

Develop a variety of drawing techniques Day one – shading activity

Explore a variety of materials Day two – introduction to gesture drawing
Distinguish between line and form Day three – drawing in class
Develop understanding of gesture v. contour Day four – introduction to ink wash
Explore ways of creating emphasis/meaning Day five – introduction contour drawing
Day six – drawing in class
Explore mark making as a mode of Day seven – introduction to final project
communication Day eight - eleven - work in class
Day twelve – critique

TO BE TURNED IN
Six exercises: one from each day of in-class activities
One final drawing: at least 11X14, your choice of material
Self-assessment handout

LINE
GESTURE
AND FORM