DRAWING FROM LIFE EXHIBITION

iLPH went to visit the Drawing From Life Exhibition at the Regent’s Park Gallery. You can not get more Primrose Hill than seeing life drawings and paintings created locally and curated by the popular Sophie Levi who runs the Primrose Hill Life Drawing Sessions. Fortunately we got to see not only all of the artists but also the models.

WALKING MAN BY CLAIRE CHORLEY, 2024

The key theme of the exhibit was sexually highlighting different male and female bodies within different settings and colourful backgrounds. The painting above strongly stood out towards me because of the way that the different colours were presented. For example black is used to create a night like background in the direction the male body is walking towards. The black shadow colour is also used to go over the trees and part of the white body. The colour white is used to show how pale the body is and the part of the forest that isn’t dark yet. White is also used to show the different parts of the forest that haven’t been overcome by the darkness in the forest yet. Both white and dark brown are combined by the artist on the naked male body to show how the lightness is turning towards darkness in the forest. Overall this painting made me think of how themes of sexuality through the naked male body are being used to show the contrasts of dark and light backgrounds happening in forests.

BEACH BY SOPHIE LEVI

Beach strongly stood out towards me because of both the dark and red colours on the rug the naked female body is lying on. This continues the sexual theme but taking place on a beach environment. The dark and light coloured white clouds grabbed my attention because of how they were positioned in the centre of the skyline. The dark yellow sky also gives the painting a desert like background. That is because dark yellow is not a natural skyline colour.

KOMAINU BY ASPEN CHALUISAN, 2021

Komainu was the drawing that stood out towards me the most. That is because the drawing is of a demonic figure with dark blue colours. This is also a massive step away from the other human male and female bodies being shown in the exhibit. The sexual theme also continues in this drawing because of how Komainu is wearing a skirt that is only covering his lower waist. What brings out Komainu’s evil the most in this painting is how he has his foot on the dog’s back. Which appears to be making the dog open its mouth screaming in pain. In analysis, what is the most distinctive feature of this drawing is how Komainu is posing for the photo to be done of him but sitting snarlingly in an evil position. Which would make whoever is looking at the painting feel disturbed.

Overall, a brilliantly artistic time was had at the exhibition. It was amazing meeting Sophie Levi as well as all of the other artists and models that were there. It was also nice sitting in the sunny courtyard eating the nibbles. The Life Drawing Class is held at the Primrose Hill Community Centre. It was brilliant to see how artistically amazing all of the Primrose Hill residents’s paintings and drawings were.