Untitled #149

Untitled #149

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2013

This 60 min. back pose of Sara Streeter is a classic example of contrapposto. She was a professional dancer for quite some time and her ability to hold a pose like this is rather legendary. Most models do not stand for poses over an hour. This one was about two hours- with 25 min intervals (I drew this during two of those sessions). Although, I've seen her stand for four hour poses. 

Many new life models who are unaware of the challenges of posing at length will oftentimes attempt poses that are beyond their ability. This isn't the case with a seasoned model. Notice that straight line going from her left foot all the way up to the back of her head. This line acts as kind of a pillar that takes most of the weight of the pose. 

The contrapposto stance has been used in figurative sculpture for centuries for it's stability. The same sound principles of stable weight distribution goes for a multi-hour length pose as well. This model knows what she's doing.