Universal principles
Here’s this month’s recommended reading for those of you dedicated to the principles of the Alexander Technique: The Natural Way to Draw, by Kimon Nicolaïdes. You don’t need to be interested in drawing to enjoy the book. The working methods that Nicolaïdes proposes are useful for all endeavors. And his writing itself is incisive, inspiring, and entertaining. Here are a few quotes, for you to get a feel for his passionate vision and his equally passionate manner of speech:
- Learning to draw is really a matter of learning to see—to see correctly—and that means a good deal more than merely looking with the eye. (page 5)
- THE SOONER YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST FIVE THOUSAND MISTAKES, THE SOONER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CORRECT THEM. (Capitals in the original, page 3)
- In order to concentrate, one can act furiously over a short space of time or one can work with calm determination, quietly, over a long extended period. In learning to draw, both kinds of effort are necessary and the one makes a precise balance for the other. (page 13)
At its core, the Alexander Technique is a way for you to stay focused, to see yourself and the world around you clearly, and to react to everything and everyone with a quick, open mind, free from preconceived ideas, habit, hesitation, or fear. Nicolaïdes (who taught drawing in New York City in the 1930’s) seems to me a perfect spokesman for these universal principles.
And if you work through the exercises in his book, you’ll really, really, really learn how to draw!
Pedro
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Reader Comments (5)
I went to a concert recently with a friend who was learning how to draw, and really took these principles to heart. He sat amongst the audience with his drawing pad and pencil and simply sketched, unphased by making mistakes, by the lack of light, or by the angry stares of fellow concertgoers at the "scritchy-scratchy" noise his pencil made as he drew it across the paper. After the end of the concert, he went to take a look at the the results, and you know what? Some of them were pretty good. Just goes to show that by not allowing yourself to be scared by lack of light, making mistakes, or whatever else life may throw in your way, you can get pretty far—probably a lot farther than by trying to be right all the time.
Very well put. I wonder who that friend of yours scritchy-scratching away so inconsiderately may be.
Sir
Do you believe it is possible to bring the right quality of attention to a musical performance while scritchy-scratchying? My first guess would be: No Way.
Then again, as someone who's performing experiences have always been in smoky bars with many unabashed talkers doing what they do best, a figure busy creating a sketch would be a blessing in comparison.
As a performer yourself, what would you say?
Thanks for these thought provoking oppurtunities on the internet.
John (soon to undertake to perform musics somewhere)
John, you know how some movie audiences in the US talk back at the screen? I think it'd be a lot of fun if we all did the same during Classical music performances. A cellist would be playing a Bach allemande and someone in the audience would shout, "Don't use so much vibrato, you cretin!"
Ha! That would be good!