Reconstructing Postmodernism Conference

It isn't too late to register for the Reconstructing Postmodernism Conference held by the ICAA.  This
event will gather leading scholars, practitioners, and critics for a rigorous round of lectures, film tributes, and panel discussions. The fully scheduled two-day conference coincides with the 30th anniversary of Tom Wolfe’s seminal publication From Bauhaus to Our House and the themes of the conference—historic significance, impact on design education and public taste, lessons learned and lessons rejected, theoretical underpinnings, and contemporary appraisal—all attempt to illuminate postmodernism’s overall cultural impact.

Friday 11/11 - Saturday 11/12  Click here for a full schedule, recommended reading list, and how to register.  

October in the Sculpture Studio

The GCA is happy to introduce a new feature to our blog.  Each month we'll follow the progress of one student in the core program as they complete a work of art over the course of that month.    This month we watched as Abigail Marie Tulis, a second year sculpture student, sculpted the figure in clay.  At the end of the month Abigail shared some thoughts on her process, goals and challenges in sculpture.

Abigail Tulis

"To prepare for and start a sculpture is both a daunting and exciting process.  A few days before the new pose starts I go over classical painting and sculptures thinking of a pose.  A French academic painting in the 19th century wing of the MET inspired this pose.  I spent some time reminding myself of the importance of rules and proportion."

Day Three

 "Day one is spent preparing the armature, setting the pose and giving the armature its correct gesture.  In the first few days J. Cheh really stresses the importance of proportion and volume.  The proportion of a 24 inch sculpture is determined by ideal head measurements as well as observation."

Day Three

 "In building up the sculpture, I am trying to read the basic volumes and determine the important boney points as well as the large plane breaks that define where the forms go.  These ideas carry me through until the end of the sculpture.  By constantly seeing and fixing and then further understanding the gesture and forms I try to make everything as clear, thruthful and organic as possible.  The whole point of the exercise is to train your eye to read three-dimensional form."

Day Five

Day Five

"I spend more time on the hands, feet and portrait in the last week, trying to get their big composition in correctly, even if I don't get to all the polished details.  It is easy to focus on polishing too soon instead of channeling energy in to more correct observation.  I have gotten better at this but hope to improve more in the future.  I am also beginning a thorough study of anatomy, which will be extremely helpful in determining insertions, muscle masses, joints and the general flow of the figure."

Day Fifteen

Day Fifteen

The Finished Sculpture:
"This month we had a great pose and model and it was a real joy and challenge to get in to all the complexities.  I enjoyed sculpting the feet and lower back, but was very challenged by the knees and hands.  I always enjoy the beginning the most.  I look forward to the next month and improvement!"

Finished sculpture

Finished sculpture

Lauren Sansaricq solo show opens this Saturday!

We can't wait to go out and support Lauren Sansaricq's first solo show this weekend! Lauren has been studying at the GCA since 2008 and has participated in the Hudson River Fellowship for the past three summers.  She is the first living artist to be represented by this gallery.  Go Lauren!

View of the Village Mostuejouls, 8"x12" by Lauren Sansaricq, 2011

Hawthorne Fine Art

requests the pleasure of your company

for the opening reception of

N A T U R E ‘ S   P O E T R Y:

The Paintings of Lauren Sansaricq (b. 1990)

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

10:00 am to 6:00 pm

@ 74 east 79th street, suite 3A-B

New York,  New York 10075

Come meet the artist and enjoy

a wine and cheese tasting all day.

RSVP to info@hawthornefineart.com or call 212.731.0550

 Click here to view the exhibition catalog and price list. 

Jiwoong Cheh sculptures unveiled at NYHS

GCA sculpture teacher Jiwoong Cheh has two new sculptures that were recently installed at the New York Historical Society.  This project was commissioned through Studio EIS in Brooklyn, NY, where Jiwoong Cheh is employed.  Read more about these new sculptures in this New York Times article!

David W. Dunlap photo/The New York Times.  A life-size sculpture of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass stands atop the staircase at the West 77th Street entrance to the New-York Historical Society. It was unveiled last Friday.

David W. Dunlap/The New York Times

upcoming deadline for ICAA winterim intensive applications

Scheduled for January 2-8, 2012, the WINTERIM Professional Intensive is designed to provide current and future design professionals with the unique chance to receive in-depth training in the principles of classical design, in both its technical and artistic dimensions. Professionals and educators currently active in the field of traditional design instruct students in the following:

Traditional Drafting by Hand
Architectural Wash Rendering
Theory of Proportion
A Comparative Study of the Orders
Linear Perspective
Observational Drawing
Literature and Theory of Classical Architecture.

Classroom hours are balanced between time spent in the studio, time engaged in lecture or discussion, and guided site visits to various New York City landmarks. This program satisfies the core course requirements for the ICAA’s Certificate of Classical Architecture.

 Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying applicants.
Location: ICAA, 20 West 44th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY
Application Deadline: December 1, 2011
Application Fee: $25 ($20 Members)
Cost/Learning Units: $1,595 ($1,435 Members) 40 (15 HSW) AIA/CES LUs

Download Application and learn more here

New! Open Studio Figure Fridays at GCA

"Rachel" by Katie Whipple

Don’t hibernate this Autumn/Winter - Join us on Friday nights to draw the figure!

Come whenever you can or come weekly!

Same model/same pose: Nov. 4, & 18 (building is closed on Nov 11 for Veteran's day)

We continue in December with a new model for 3 Fridays in the same pose.

Dec. 2, 9, 16

6:30-9:30pm

South Studio

(entrance through the cast hall)

$15 cash at door/per day. (Please bring exact change.)

If you don’t pay, you can’t stay.

Reservations encouraged! Email: GCAFridays@gmail.com

If you make a reservation, please arrive by 6:25pm, otherwise someone who shows up at the door can potentially get your spot.  

As a courtesy to the model and group, please arrive by 6:30pm.

You may not be admitted if the door is closed to the studio.

If there’s room, you may be admitted during a break, but there is no discount for latecomers.

Students already in the M-F class must let Jason, the monitor know by Thursday night if they will be attending on Friday, otherwise their spot can be released. There is no extra charge for students already taking the M-F class.

learn traditional drafting by hand with the ICAA

This course engages the student in the practice of traditional architectural drafting. Many students have little or no knowledge of traditional drafting via manual and pencil technique due to the preponderance of drafting now done via machines (CAD)-and, for students in earlier decades, technical pens. Students embark on exercises to establish the basic skills that allow them to communicate their ideas clearly and cleanly, focusing on the ability to draw a line that is straight, unvarying in width, evenly dark, sharp. Achieving this sounds simple, but it is not-and it is worth the effort, for it is the foundation of a good drawing

Instructor: Seth Weine, Architectural Designer, ICAA Fellow
Location: ICAA, 20 West 44th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY
Cost/Learning Unit: $300 (250 Members); 12.5 AIA/CES LUs

5 sessions: Mondays and Wednesdays, November 14 – 30 (except Nov. 23); 6:30–9:00 pm

 

Register here

LECTURE: “A Proportional Approach to the Fine Arts and Architecture”

Please join us for a lecture on Monday, October 31 from 5-6 PM in the cast hall. 

 

Steven Bass will talk about proportion and the use of numbers and geometry as design tools.  This traditional practice draws it's power from an ancient metaphysical world view often associated with the philosophies of Pythagoras and Plato.  This presentation outlines such a view and attempts to relate it to the fine arts today.  Topics included are: the difference between symbolic and mathematical number, the pursuit of beauty, the manifestation of numerical "powers" including the elusive Golden Section, and what these ideas imply for the role of the artist in society.

Steven Bass is an architect and Fellow of the ICAA  He is a graduate of Pratt Institute and the Royal College of Art, in London.  He is currently in practice and teaches courses on proportion in architecture, and instructs in ICAA's Beaux Arts Atelier.


Please RSVP to grandcentralacademy@gmail.com

GCA takes a field trip to CT

Today the entire GCA core program took the day off from our normal schedule to go landscape painting in western Connecticut.  We had perfect weather and we were joined by several alumni and faculty, it was a great way to catch up and paint together.  We don't have photos of any paintings yet, but we will try to post some as soon as they become available.  For now, here are a few pics of the day:

The Grand Central Academy of Art!  

Abigail Tulis

Gregory Mortenson

Andrea Clinton

Katie Whipple

Brendan Johnston, with Edward Minoff, Connor DeJong, and Katie Whipple in the background

Rodrigo Mateo

Liz Beard with Jacob Collins

Lauren Sansaricq and Jacob Collins

Rebecca C. Gray

Sarah Bird

Emilie Lee

Joshua LaRock and Brandon Beckstrom

lost in the woods, 2011

News from GCA Alumn Angela Cunningham

"Stephany", by Angela Cunningham, graphite on paper

It's been great to have GCA alum Angela Cunningham back in the cast hall on Tuesday afternoons when she teaches a class for the Beaux-Arts Atelier. She also teaches evening cast drawing at GCA and is busy down in Philadelphia where she started her own school - Cambridge Street Studios. Here is some information on an upcoming workshop down there (click on flyer to enlarge).