Nuda Veritas: the pleasure of collage
Weekend-long practical course
1 December 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm2 December 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm
The Clore Learning Centre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts
£360. Includes all materials, lunch and a wine reception at the end of the first day.
Klimt / Schiele
Terms and conditions
Using the Klimt / Schiele exhibition as a starting point, this two-day mixed media course led by artist Sadie Hennessy will explore themes inspired by the erotic image.
Inspired by an 1899 painting by Gustav Klimt of the same name, this two-day practical course explores erotic themes in art, inspired in principal by the work of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Both artists explored the erotic nude in groundbreaking ways, as participants will see first-hand in a visit to the Klimt / Schiele exhibition to view their original artworks.
Erotic art refers to any artwork created with the intention of inspiring arousal or lust. Depictions of eroticism are common in the history of art and can be found as far back as Palaeolithic cave paintings, in which depictions of love-making regularly appear. The Ancient Greeks are well-known for painting sexual scenes on their ceramics and are widely credited as being the first to depict homosexuality in pottery, mosaics and paintings. A long tradition of eroticism also exists in Eastern art – from Japanese Shunga woodblock prints to the Karma Sutra.
In modern Western art, the tradition was continued by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Toulouse Lautrec and of course Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. Erotic art has thrived since the nineteenth century, most notably with the invention of photography, and, although the genre is still not as accepted as others such as portrait and landscape painting, modern artists have had a much wider scope as societal acceptance of the erotic image has grown. The course will include discussions of eroticism in the work of modern and contemporary artists, including Auguste Rodin, Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Mapplethorpe and Dame Paula Rego RA.
Using a variety of materials including vintage magazines and ephemera, gold leaf, paint and textiles, participants will build up a portfolio of erotic collages and drawings over the course of the weekend. Group discussions about the erotic in art will inform this portfolio as it develops. There will also be the opportunity to view some of the tutor’s original work on this theme.
By the end of the course each student will have a body of finished collages and mixed media works for their portfolios and will have created a customised ‘boudoir’ candle using a simple transfer technique.
About the course
This weekend course will use structured exercises to create a small body of work around the theme of eroticism and sexuality.
Participants will use imagery from vintage naturist and body-building magazines and other ephemera, making use of collage and drawing to create final pieces. Participants will also be encouraged to bring in their own visual material to include in their work. The course will explore texture too, experimenting with gold leaf and other leaf metals, in homage to Klimt’s Golden Phase.
At the end of the weekend, each participant will be given a portfolio which has been screen-printed by hand by Sadie Hennessy, the course leader.
This course will take place in the new Clore Learning Centre at the Royal Academy of Arts.
This course is suitable for all levels, but participants will ideally have some prior experience of drawing, painting or another creative practice.
This course is for you if:
• You have an interest in collage and assemblage and would like the opportunity to explore ideas in this area.
• You are open to discussions about eroticism in art.
• You would like to experiment with different collage techniques.
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills within a small group in the historic setting of the Royal Academy’s new Clore Learning Centre.
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor.
£360
Saturday 1 – Sunday 2 December 2018
10.30am – 5.30pm on both days
Includes:
• An introductory illustrated lecture to the course, with particular reference to the artist's own work
• A complimentary ticket to the Klimt / Schiele exhibition
• All specialist practical art materials
• Course learning materials and hand-outs
• Lunch and refreshments on both days
• A drinks reception at the end of the first day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Sadie Hennessy
Sadie Hennessy is a practising artist specialising in collage and printmaking. Her work deals with the incongruous and the anachronistic and revels in ruptures in normality. Her work scratches at the veneer of civilised society and its mores to find the darkness underneath. She often uses humour in her work, usually from the blacker end of the comic spectrum.
Her work has been exhibited regularly around the UK and beyond, with recent solo projects in London, Margate, Coventry and Birmingham. She currently has work at Firstsite in Colchester, as part of their Britishness Project. She has an MA in Fine Art from Central St Martins, where her degree show won her the Jealous Graduate Prize in 2010. She then completed a year-long printmaking residency at Croydon Art College. Her work is in the UCL collection and the print collection of the V&A.
For the last three years she has been a judge for the British Women’s Art prize, which includes a special prize for Erotic Art.
She is currently Screen Print Fellow at the Royal Academy.
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.