Figurative Artist's Handbook: A Contemporary Guide to Figure Drawing, Painting, and Composition

This handbook combines three "schools of thought" regarding figure drawing that are, at least on the surface, at odds with each other. But with his vast teaching experience, Zeller has seen that on a deeper level they are very compatible. Such a synthesis leads to a more complete understanding of the figure. Although this comprehensive approach is reflected in contemporary art and art education, no book has ever combined all three before. Gestural: The dynamic, gestural, rhythmic understanding of the figure as practiced by the great Mannerists of the Renaissance. This philosophy emphasizes life and rhythm in the human form. Rooted in the 16th and 17th centuries. Structural: A solid architectural understanding of the structure and anatomy of the body as the basis for building solid figure drawings. Rooted in the 20th and 21st centuries. Atelier Method: A beautiful, careful, detailed understanding of surface morphology of the figure. Smooth surface rendering. Very sensual. Rooted in the 18th and 19th centuries. This fresh, modern treatment of the subject will be eagerly received by today's artists and art students.

About the Author:

Robert Zeller is an artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Originally from New Orleans, Zeller received a BFA from the Boston Museum School and Tufts University and an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. He finished his education with atelier training from Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier and in-depth anatomical and structural study with the sculptor Sabin Howard. Zeller is the recipient of two Posey Fellowships and a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and has exhibited at galleries in Los Angeles, Houston, Paris, and New York, where he has had two solo shows. He is the founder of the Teaching Studios of Art (www.teachingstudios.com) in Oyster Bay, New York. For more about the artist, visit www.robertzeller.com.