Creating Neo Deco - 05-07-25

Website link: https://corneakkers.com/neo-deco-05-07-25/
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Inspirational

This graphite pencil drawing ‘Neo Deco – 05-07-25’ shows Ukrainian model Assia Granatouroff once more. After my last drawing of her I felt inspired to do another one. You know, there are a couple of relationships a person can have. There are romantic, family, friendly and business relations. Model relations are sui generis. You have to fall in love a bit with your model. Otherwise an artist won’t be able to mould her into perfect depiction on canvas or paper. Nevertheless, also stay atistic and be businesslike because the work needs to be done. So, no hanky-panky. I had that for 10 consecutive years with my regular model. She knew what she had to give and I knew what I wanted from her. Such a pity I now fall in love with a model that could have been my grandmother.

She Is Not of My Time

However, Assia died in 1982 and I wished I’d have lived in Paris during the 1930s. Alas! Luckily she has been captured by so many photographers. Dora Maar, Emmanuel Sougez, Roger Schall and Ergy Landau are only a few of them. Artist André Derain eternalized her as well. There’s one that inspired be to create this one and that is Nora Dumas’ interpretation of her. She sat upright in the picture. I quite liked the angular horizontally placed right thigh in comparison to the verticatity of her upper body. Two big blocks of darkness: arm and leg contrasting the beautiful the refined facial features. Not to forget her amazing hair. It’s lush, thick like copper wire and those bouncy hair curls remains a source of endless inspiration.

Waiting for my Oil

The drawing itself came out of a whim really. My oil painting ‘In Hoc Signo’ needed tending. So I had reached my quota for the day by perfection a giant vortex of fire in the sky. Since I finished early on saturday evening I still was in the mood to so some more. This is also why I sketch: waiting for an oil to dry or for my students in my other studio. Next to this, sketching to me is the first phase, painting the second. Throughout the years I learnt to listen to impulses. When the time is right there is an inner urge to draw. The universe tells you so and comes to your aid by guidance and support.

Execution of the Style

As to the exection of the style: I had a previous one in mind. After all, I was using Fabriano Ingres again. The last time I used it to depict Ms Granatouroff was back in March. That one I found to have become less cubist and a bit too realist for my taste. Even though pleasant to the eye I wanted something simular to ‘Neo Deco – 08-06-23’. That one I found pleasant to look at. With extrapolated forms in the negative space though. Those were needed because the position of the model’s body looked like a needle, needing more forms around her. This time the charms of this beautiful Ukrainian model didn’t need much more. Therefor I only incorporated some cubist forms in the positive space of her body. All in all, I like the contrast of the grainy yet refined features with some harsh lines in the body.

Graphite pencil (Faber Castell, Pitt Graphite Matt, 14B) drawing on Fabriano Ingres paper (21 x 28.2 x 0.1 cm)
Artist: Corné Akkers