TLDR;
This video introduces the Bargue Drawing Course, a series of lithographs created by Charles Bargue in collaboration with Jean-Léon Gérôme, designed to teach drawing in the 19th-century academic tradition. The course involves copying expert drawings of classical sculptures, progressing from simple shapes to complex contours and shading. This method was a standard part of art education, preparing students for cast drawing and eventually figure drawing before apprenticing with a painter.
- The Bargue Drawing Course is a series of lithographs designed for art education.
- It teaches drawing through copying expert drawings of classical sculptures.
- The course progresses from simple shapes to complex contours and shading.
- It was a standard part of 19th-century art education, preparing students for further studies.
Introduction to the Bargue Drawing Course [0:10]
The video introduces the Bargue Drawing Course, a series of lithographs created by Charles Bargue in collaboration with Jean-Léon Gérôme. Bargue, the son of a lithographer, partnered with his teacher Gérôme, a well-known painter, to produce these plates. The plates represent the standard of art education in the 19th century, focusing on drawings from casts of antique Greek and Roman sculptures.
Historical Context and Purpose [0:51]
These plates exemplify how art was taught in the 19th century, aiming to teach drawing proficiency, taste, and an understanding of the human form from the Renaissance onward. In the Renaissance, apprentices copied drawings by their master, known as "working from the flat." Eventually, they would work from three-dimensional sculptures, called "working from the round," now known as cast drawing and painting.
Standardisation and Quality of the Plates [2:09]
As art education became more systematised, especially in France by the mid-19th century, there was a need for standardised plates recognised as the best models for students. The Bargue plates are considered high quality, demonstrating step-by-step instructions for creating drawings, breaking down subjects into simple shapes, and adding complex contours and shading for a three-dimensional effect.
Curriculum and Progression [2:55]
Art students typically spent about a year working from these plates before moving on to cast drawing for another year, using three-dimensional casts. After mastering these stages, they would progress to drawing the human figure. Completing several years of study through plates, casts, and figure drawing prepared them to apprentice with a painter, where they would focus on learning painting techniques, having spent their art school years primarily studying drawing. Each plate is designed to show step one and step two of the drawing process.