Drawing by Eldon Reich

Two Nudes

I have been studying the drawing techniques of the old masters.

In this drawing (conte’ and sepia pencils) I have combined the works of two great masters: Bertoia (left) and Raphael (right) and added the bathing pool in the center to combine the two drawings into a new composition. I faded the Raphael nude to add depth.

In drawing these two nudes I gained a better understanding not only of form but of the style of the two masters – Bertoia used more of a flowing outline while Raphael used spherical/convex lines.

The original works of the Old Masters are included for reference:

Jacopo Zanguidi, called Bertoia (1544–1573) (“Female Nude”, 1558)

Raphael Sanzio (“Three Graces”, about 1512)

Helpful critical remarks are welcome.

Eldon Reich

Hi Eldon,

Thank you very much for your drawing, I like it very much, well done.

Your composition looks very interesting and two figures from different references are very naturally forming one group.

There are few minor points you may keep in mind next time you do figurative artworks. Sometimes less is more – background can be rendered in lighter tones if rendered at all, to keep the main focus on figures.

Also, when drawing figures from life, reference or imagination, you need to keep an eye on proportions. The left figure would benefit from a slightly bigger head, or a bit shorter lover half of the figure. You see, classical canon says that in contrapposto a head should fit about 7 – 7.5 times into the figure’s height. In your drawing it fits 8 times, so it looks a bit small. Also, a human body is divided in half at about the pubic bone level, in your drawing the lower part is bigger.

I understand that you followed proportions of the original artwork by Bertoia. He was only 14 at the time, so you could improve on his sketch.

These points are minor and do not affect the overall appearance of your drawing. It is a very good sketch.

Once again, thank you for your artwork.

Best regards,
Vladimir London

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