Life Drawing in Response to John Craxton
£30
[ Workshop )
Explore the beauty of life drawing with Alej Ez inspired by the works of John Craxton.
Led by Alej Ez from Brighton Draws Men, each class will look at the nude figure in the context of Hellenistic culture, which so inspired John Craxton.
In each session Alej will explore the basics of capturing the curves and line of the human body with a life model. By the end of the class you will have created a number of works that celebrate the human form.
We will provide you with pencils, graphite sticks, compressed charcoal, paper and an easel, but you are welcome to bring your own easel, if you wish.
All abilities are welcome, but some experience will be beneficial.
You are invited to join us as you are, embracing life and art in their purest forms. Love life, love art!
Each workshop includes entry to John Craxton: A Modern Odyssey and can be enjoyed independently or as a three part course.
Brighton Draws Men
Brighton Draws Men is an arts organisation that runs life classes in Brighton on Wednesday evenings. Find out more on their website.
Artist educator bio - Alej Ez
John Craxton was a frequent visitor to Greece and produced extraordinary paintings of sailors and labourers during his lifetime. In following his footsteps, Alej spent nine days in Athens in August 2023, immersing himself in the history and culture. While there he was struck by the unrefined Byzantine paintings and awed by the enduring influence of Hellenistic culture. The emphasis on human form in both spirit and flesh – subjects which held such significance for Craxton, fascinate him. Alej also explored the Yannis Tsarouchis Foundation, which shed light on a remarkable Greek neo-romantic artist who portrayed the male figure.
Alej has a background in architecture, and was born in Granada, Spain. His passion for the arts is boundless, as he has been eagerly immersing himself in the life and work of John Craxton. Alej feels as though monographic exhibitions offer an intimate insight into an artist’s life and body of work “when such exhibitions succeed, one almost feels as though they have personally met the artist”. Alej remarks on his first visit to the Glyn Philpot exhibition at the Gallery and this year’s Gwen John exhibition “this is precisely how I felt when I visited these two shows”.
Alej oversees the sessions with Brighton Draws Men with a deep sense of responsibility for his fellow artists. “I view our group as more of a commune united by a shared passion. Our members encompass a spectrum of backgrounds, some with formal artistic training and others none”. Alej hopes to create an environment that enables a soul-enriching experience, where participants are able to immerse themselves fully in the two-hour session, where they themselves become a conduit, bridging the world of the human form with artistic expression.
