Week #35, Figure Drawing, Reclining Figure

Bienfait Dependable Papers: Student Grade - Reclining Figure, c. 1950, mixed media on paper, 9”" x 6”.

Sketchbooks offer a great record of an artist’s random “visual” musings, in the pursuit of fine-tuning their skills, capturing their world, and developing their unique style. Dusti Bongé filled her share of sketchbooks, or sometimes randomly available ledgers or notebooks. This one was originally a staple bound. 9 x 12 sketchbook containing 30 sheets. By the time Dusti got around to using it, it had been cut in half to wind up at 9 x 6. Today it contains thirteen pages, mostly pen & ink drawings depicting keyhole people and figure studies, some green abstract marks in verso of one of the sketches, and one page of drawings possibly by son Lyle. 

This set of four sketches of the same reclining figure offer a perfect example of how the repetitive act of capturing the same figure can hone your skills. Figure drawing is one of the most important and time-honored traditions in the visual arts. The quintessential format for developing this skill is the life drawing studio setting with a live model striking various poses during each session. But obviously, opportunities to draw the human figure present themselves constantly and everywhere. And Dusti took that opportunity with this figure.

If each of these sketches took even a minute, it would be a lot. As you can see, they are incredibly simple representations of the figure. And yet, using just a few lines, Dusti gives just enough of the story, suggesting this guy is taking a quick nap. This we can deduce from the facts that he has his hands comfortably folded behind his head, and that he is fully clothed, He’s wearing a tucked-in button-down shirt, indicated by one line down his torso, and a belt, indicated by a single line along his waist. The belt is embellished in one sketch by a few marks. More detail wouldn’t necessarily add to the story.