Review: 'Life Class - Today's Nude' on Channel 4

Matthew's back, Life Class with Maggi Hambling, Channel 4

all images pencil on heavy cartridge paper
all images copyright Katherine Tyrrell

The first of the Life Class programmes on Channel 4 kicked off this lunchtime (12.30pm) in Maggi Hambling's studio in Clapham. The idea is that you draw a model 'as if' in a life class - exceot you're viewing the model through your tekevision screen.

Here's a link to works by Maggi Hambling and a little bit about her from her website

Born in Suffolk in 1945, Maggi Hambling is a distinguished painter and sculptor whose work can be seen in the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Collection, The Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon and many other public collections in the UK and abroad. Hambling is also represented in London by Marlborough Fine Art and IAP Fine Art.

This is how Channel 4 described her

Despite her wide range of subject matter, Hambling is commonly known for her portraits, which are expressionistic in nature and executed in bold oil and watercolours. Filmed at Hambling's bright, airy studio in Clapham, where she lives and works, her class features highly sought-after male life model Matthew Oghene.

Matthew Oghene is an incredibly well built chap who looked like he might be a bit of a body builder - he lots of very beautiful well rounded muscles. He also had the capacity to strike and hold a pose very well and I can well understand why he is sought after as a life model. Good models make all the difference in a life class.

Three 'quickies' Life Class with Maggi Hambling, Channel 4

We got through three quick poses and two slightly longer ones. The quickies were about the same sort of time as one might get in life class while the longer ones were not quite as long as "the short poses". Somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes. Those who've done life class will know what I mean.

What was really good was that when she talked she said sensible things - and that she didn't talk all the time. Halfway through drawing Matthew's back I felt as if I was in a real life class as it was so quiet! She also had some brief practical pointers - such as when setting up with an easel, set it up towards which ever side is your drawing hand (ie don't get the easel and your drawing arm in between you and what you're looking at). She also recommended charcoal as being the nearest thing to painting in dry media. She was using the very thick charcoal used for scenic art by stage designers.

Drawing from life is the best way of executing what the eye is seeing
Maggi Hambling

Profile of Matthew (5-10 minutes)

I updated yesterday's post with the details for the rest of the week. Here are the links again - for the rest of this week. It looks to me like they may be planning more than one series of these classes.

• Series 1, Episode 2 - the tutor is Humphrey Ocean (in the Life Room of the Royal Academy of Art)
  
• Series 1, Episode 3 - the tutor is Gary Hume (in his London studio)
• Series 1, Episode 4 - the tutor is Judy Purbeck (in Hornsey Library)
• Series 1, Episode 5 - the tutor is John Berger (in a dance studio in Paris)
  

There is also a Flickr group for drawings. This is the pool of drawings from life classes run in conjunction with the project and drawings done while watching the programme. They have a limit of one drawing per person per programme. [Update 9th July 2009 - I've had to remove the link to the Group Pool as the drawings are not being moderated and the Group Admin appears to be asleep.]

You can also see all the drawings I did today (and will do this week) in a new set on my Flickr account Life Class, Channel 4.

Just a reminder - this is a guide I put together a while ago for anybody contemplating taking a life class - A Making A Mark Guide: Life Drawing and Life Class