Masters of Old

This pastel drawing ‘Model Session – 2026-05-19 – 1’ is a study executed in sanguine pastel chalk only. A reference to the masters of old. Well, a sort of I mean. We all know these studies after the human form made by Da Vinci and Michelangelo, right? From an early age on I simply adored these studies. I even made a pencil drawing using this brownish red, called ‘Victorian Lady in Red (1984)’ after Da Vinci’s portraits. Strangely, not too often during life model drawing events of the past years. About time to change that and make a study myself. Today’s model in The Blauwe Tram was our male model Jelco, posing for us for the last time in September 2025. A great model, slender with a sound musculature and therefor perfect to unleash my sanguine pastel chalks on.

Sanguine Patel on Black Paper

Contrary to aforementioned masters I used black paper this time. Last month I used only green pastel on black paper and the result was very satisfying. I figured, using sanguine pastel on black paper could deliver me something similar as well. It also causes the viewer to interpret the body in sanguine hues to appear lighter anyway. That is, compared to white paper. Hence, the reason for many pastel artists to use black or dark paper. You see, pastel can give a rather dusty and merky impression on white paper. Using a dark background makes it more pleasant to look at.

The Pose

In April 2025 we had Jelco pose, holding a stick in front of him. How dapper the result looks on paper, it took him quite the effort to hold that pose. This time I had something else in mind, something less strainful. Instead of holding the stick in front of him, we had him lean on it. Through this, the muscles in his upper body were more tense. Back home, I didn’t need much elaboration. I filled in the negative space around him a bit – some sketchy tiles and a hint of wall structures. That’s all. Now I hope viewers will not interpret the stick as a straight pee stream. Although would be fun if they would.

Pastel drawing on Canson Mi-Teintes Touch paper (47 x 63 x 0.1 cm)

Artist: Corné Akkers

Sales info: info@corneakkers.com

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