Ferretting in the Lacuna

I've been interviewing a few people associated with long running sketch clubs in sydney. Last week I travelled up into the northern suburban heartland to interview a 90 years old. He'd discovered art attending life drawing organised by some gay English guy who'd been shipped off to the colonies for sodomy and had set up a sketch club in what would have seemed like a cultural wastelands......that was in the 1920's. Apart form jock straps and ladyshaving things sounded pretty much the same as they are now. Another 90 year old told me that shaving wasn't even mandatory - it just got done by some women because they thought it was proper. (and now its more risque than leaving the full map of tassie.......)

The picutre I'm getting is that private sketch clubs have been the mainstay of much artistic activity throughout the history of twentieth century Sydney. Private sketch clubs on the north shore, in the rocks, haymarket acted as social nodes where artists of various persuasions could gather, draw and talk. In many ways they are comparable to jam sessions among musicians - but often with more heterogeneous participants. There were sketch clubs for the contemporary art society, for graduates of Julian Ashton's, or East Sydney, and others comprising students, models and graduates of each. There were also sketch clubs of nuns, old men, younger men, bored housewives which as the bland sociological labels don't state - included ex students from the Bauhaus, or of Johannes Itten, as well as friends and associates of ex students from George Bell. Sketch clubs have acted as a broad network of contacts, and fanning infuences from various art movements form the 20th century. Skethc clubs have provided employment for models - but especially for many women artists -a form of introduction and graduated apprenticeship in the art world. Students and artists who couldn't be or wouldn't be supported by their families or art patrons - to attedn full time art school or devote themselves to full time practice, have found supportive envirnoment in which to gain some employment, and participate in networks of other arts, models, teachers.

The above may seem a tad scholastic, but I'm trying to provide some evidence for the importance of what may seem as peripheral, anachronistic or amateur activities - particularly in a cultural milleu as small as sydney's (and the art scene here IS SMALL). Aside from life drawing as training, or life drawing as a practice, or life drawing as generation of some genuine soft porno kitsch - the importance of life drawing as a social and cultural activity has really played an important part in the development and sustenance of countless artists in sydney. I beleive it is in the act of coming together, and coming together to engage in a formalised cultural practice that generates the sense of cultural identity. The transmission of knowledge and experience and of providing opportunities for new experiences is a really amazing process to participate in. This is probably why I enjoy teaching art to people who I really don't care for otherwise - because it does create a bridge of visual communication and experience.

I have had connections to many of my interview subjects in the past - as a model, or employee, as fellow artists, or as a drawer, or as an employer. Its been refreshing to hear that this multiplicity of networks and connections has been the experience of many female artists for almost a century. ANyway - I remmeber the last time I modelled for an old widower - who's speciality is soft pretty pictures of mostly female nudes. We've swapped paintings tips (yes the language of painting is PROMISCUOUS enough to allow all sorts of influences to err - cross pollinate - one must think of deleuze here - despite movements or trends) . I hadn't reeally outed myself to him - but he had drawn and painted myself and my partner (separately) on a number of occasions. He showed me a paitning of a sweet, slender, buxom curly headed brunette, and asked if I recognised the model. He was astonished when I didn't. I didn't want to quibble over the breasts (hers are very small) - because I was touched that this was his way of aknowledging my relationship - and it was done with such delicacy and respect.

Anyway - I've interviews 4 subjects in 2 days this week - and am exhausted but excited as well. I'm thinking of reviving the defunct chapter on life class as death class - after speaking to one artist - who has done a lot of work on corpses, and linked medicine and medical training to life classes in drawing and sculpture. I also heard some stories from a model - about posing for anatomy students in exchange for being allowed access to the wet labs - to draw. I also heard another terrible, tragic story about one institutions who used to be very neglectiful of supervising models - and allow heroin addicts to work - and to work while pinned. This institution used to repeatedly employ one female model because she would nod off in a pose and hold it for the full duration of a 3 hour class. One day she overdosed and actually died on the podium and rigormortis has set in by the time they tried to wake her.

This is really horrifying. I guess all the artists would ahve been scarred for life.