Classical Life Drawing Studio: Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing (The Art Students League of New York) [Hardcover]

James Lancel McElhinney (Author), Instructors of the Arts Students League of New York (Author), Will Barnet (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2010 | Series: The Art Students League of New York

Classical drawing is staging a comeback. The Art Students League of New York presents a unique and perfect celebration of this revival: a gallery of never-before-published 19th- and 20th-century drawings and invaluable insights from the League's figurative drawing teachers along, with exemplary works by them and their select students. With a foreword by celebrated artist Will Barnet, this collection is the ultimate volume on the art of drawing.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James L. McElhinney received an MFA from the Yale School of Art and was later awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. His artwork has been shown in more than 40 solo gallery and museum exhibitions and is found in many private and public collections. He teaches at the Art Students League and Pratt Institute and conducts oral histories for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402762291
• ISBN-13: 978-1402762291
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Figure Drawing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifuly Illustrated Volume on Life Drawing, February 15, 2011

By 

Martin Oconnor "Martin O'C" (Cleveland, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classical Life Drawing Studio: Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing (The Art Students League of New York) (Hardcover)

This is a very nice book on American, academic-style figure drawing. There is only about 34 pages worth of text in this 200 page book. The remaining pages are quality, full and half page reproductions of life drawings from the 19th century to the present. While this book is not an instructional book, it would make a good inspirational folio. For an instructional book I would recommend: The Artist's Complete Guide to Figure Drawing: A Contemporary Perspective on the Classical Tradition, by Anthony Ryder.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, December 19, 2010

By 

Camilo "KAM" (Colombia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Classical Life Drawing Studio: Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing (The Art Students League of New York) (Hardcover)

Beautiful book, with tons of awesome reproductions from Art Students League collection of academic drawings.

It's also very, VERY cheap for what you will get.

If you are a proffesional artist, arts student, arts teacher, or just someone who like figurative drawing, don't think too much and buy it right now...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Pretty pictures, useless book, October 21, 2011

By 

Michael D. Sepesy "egaeus" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classical Life Drawing Studio: Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing (The Art Students League of New York) (Hardcover)

Misled by the title, I got this book to see if it had lessons in it from classical art pertaining to figure drawing. The volume has many lovely figure drawings; if that's all you're looking for, then you may be happy with it. If you are looking for instruction, look elsewhere. The written text is essentially made up of a brief history of figure drawing and several personal essays from artists who reveal nothing other than a) the fact that they teach, accompanied with vague descriptions of the topics they cover, b) how classical art may have influenced them, and c) that some of them have books to sell. I gave this book 2 stars because the drawings were nice.