Some time late last year, I started taking weekly trips to the Met. I’m really not one for the big crowds and swarms of tourists but as an artists, I feel like I can’t just not go to the Met lol. That’s wild. So, I starting going Monday mornings when it wasn’t as busy. I would make my way over to the European Sculptures section and sit in Front of a sculpture named “Ugolino and His Sons.” This piece actually rubs me all the wrong way for a bunch of different reasons, but I sit and contemplate in front of it for long periods of time because of all the twists and turns and complexity of light & shadow it makes under the museum light. It’s just a fascinating work of art. One day, I actually came back with my art materials. I brought an 18×24 toned gray drawing pad with all my charcoal pencils and an easel. I sat there and drew this piece for hours. I kept coming over a 6 week period and actually got a lot done. I typically draw from photo references, so drawing a sculpture from life was a bit more difficult and I ran into a few challenges. Nonetheless, this piece inspired me to get back into figure drawing. My Ugolino drawing still isn’t done, but I plan on going back soon to finish and start on another sculpture.
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