Drawings of Sculptures

Unknown, "Portrait Bust." 1st Century CE

Copying statuary, generally casts of classic works, has been one of the staples of an art education that emulate that of the masters of the past. In the apprentice system, copying from examples of Greco-Roman classics was quite common. It might seem counter-intuitive but even a self-directed learner can discover much by drawing sculptures. Luckily, in this day of nearly instant digital searching you can always find something to draw, often well-lighted and photographed. Regardless of search engine, the results of searching for something like "Roman portrait bust" or "Roman sculpture" turns up pages of images, many in high definition format.

Using those images is a simple way to enhance drawing skills, practice with a particular mediium (whether pencil, charcoal, conte or pixels), explore various techniques, and study how the ancients produced their works, among any number of other reasons. I've been working with some of these kinds of busts and figures, particularly the often-admired portrait busts from the time of the Roman Republic. These are unlike busts from the later Empire when many many images of Augustus Caesar, to name only one emperor, flooded the world. Many of those are unique and very personal in the sense that they are single copy images of the person who commissioned them, or one of his relatives. These portrait busts explore what seem to us as realistic renderings of a person. Yet these realistic portraits were actually deliberately accentuate wrinkles and pouchy eyes and something of their general facial expressions. The idea was to accentuate age and therefore wisdom, which was highly valued in ancient Rome.

Hoff, "Portrait of a Roman Matron," digital, 2019

In doing these digital drawings (digitalia) my intentions were multiple, as mentioned above, but also because of the expressions that were often captured by the carvers, and also because these ancient artisans had a system for all of their carvings, which was interesting to study as the drawings progressed. Exploring these millennia-old faces and expressions also humanized these long departed people and made them seem much closer to us. The portrait I copied of a matronly woman (right) was a good example of what I mean. The somewhat bemused good humor I read in that face from two thousand years ago suggests to me the sort of person whose company we might have enjoyed. She also looks wise, and mature, no doubt as she and the sculptor intended.

Hoff, "Nero, after a Roman bust," digital 2019

While many portraits of emperors were done as obvious serial copies, sometimes you come across a bust that can only have been done from life, or at least copied from a life portrait. This drawing I made of the bust of the emperor Nero (left) is a good example. Although Nero fancied himself a handsome devil and a talented stage performer, he was cursed with a receding chin and a rather vapid if brutal look. The bust I copied this drawing from seems to have been accurate enough to have survived and not insulting. Nero was widely despise during his reign and was also profligate and dissipated. That he aspired to be an actor and singer was considered scandalous. 

Hoff, "Unknown roman," after a Roman bust, 2019

The final drawing in this post was made from a Roman republican portrait bust. The subject is not known, so far as I could determine, but he must have been a wealthy patrician. He had a lean face and a determined, almost skeptical expression. In many of these, as here, I added irises, which were painted on. These were all very likely polychromed with paint that has worn away over the centuries. Adding irises makes these old old faces come alive.

For anyone "doin' the dailies"--a daily sketch or painting or whatever--these busts of the ancient wealthy and powerful are a rich source of material.