Burne Hogarth - Reviews

Dynamic Figure Drawing

Burne Hogarth
Watson-Guptill
Nonfiction, Art
****

Description

Many art books and classes on anatomy do a good job describing the basics, but fail to convey the human form as the dynamic subject it is, preferring generic and lifeless poses to those with depth, perspective, and motion. The author, a noted artist and teacher, demonstrates how to see and draw human anatomy in a creative and powerful way.

Review

This book is considered something of a classic in the field of artistic anatomy. Until recently, I hadn't given it a chance. Maybe I wasn't ready to see it yet, like my earliest brush with Jack Hamm's books. In any event, now that I have it, I find Hogarth's methods interesting and inspiring. His demonstration figures twist, bend, move, and flow like few others. Truthfully, they twist and bend a little too much; one of the objections I see to his work is his exaggeration of action. I can see that, but overall his exaggeration is quite deliberate, forcing the artist to think beyond the dull and static poses so many others foist upon them - I don't believe he intended his figures to be realistic, but to push boundaries and show dynamic energy. Not catering to raw beginners, the author jumps straight past the usual matchstick figures and muscle/skeleton charts which many books on human anatomy start with, launching instead straight into his methods for revisualizing human forms for maximum energy and depth. I'm sure further study of his methods (and more practice) will be a great asset to my still-uncertain artistic skills.

Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery: Solutions for Drawing the Clothed Figure

Burne Hogarth
Watson-Guptill
Nonfiction, Art
****

Description

Most drawing books and classes focus on the nude figure, but most art produced includes clothing of some sort. Despite this, many instructors treat clothing as an afterthought, an incidental detail unworthy of in-depth attention. This book looks at the forces and movements that cause folds and wrinkles, giving them the same intense and dynamic treatment as the human form.

Review

It's very true, from my experience, that most art books treat clothing as sparingly as possible. While it is necessary to know the forms beneath the clothing, it's also important to know about the behavior of the clothes themselves. Like his Dynamic Figure Drawing book, Hogarth doesn't waste time with the fundamentals of figure drawing or anatomy, spending all available page count on the formation of wrinkles and drapes, the behavior of different materials under different conditions, or the movements and forces that cause different folds to develop. Also like his other book, his figure poses often stretch the limits of human flexibility to the breaking point or beyond, but it's done in such a deliberate fashion that I have to believe Hogarth knew what he was doing. Of course, like all art, reading about a concept or seeing it in print is meaningless until it is practiced enough to be understood, and I haven't had nearly enough practice to say I understand all of what Hogarth conveys here.