Art Without Feet

[DrgoFx]

I hate being in my art class because I'm a natural Devil's Advocate, so I just hate watching the students and teacher fight over little things when I see both sides of the arguments in both right and wrong forms. But this time, I took a side. Our latest argument was over the human anatomy. My classmate was making a painting with a stick figure-like style to it and our teacher said it was wrong because the figure did not have feet. Ignoring the total "Wtf is that about?" question, I stood up for the student and claimed it was a stylistic choice and several artists have chosen to paint or illustrate like that...Now I've been tasked with bringing in examples of such styles.

So um...help? Also, who's in the right here? Did I choose the right side in this argument? I mean, Art is a complicated subject in the realm of teaching, and I think our art teacher was just picking factors to yell.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

First lets get this out, art is subjective. If the person chose to make his/her image without feet, then so be it, this doesn't make it wrong in anyway.

That being said, the fine art community especially tends to be a little strict, a piece of artwork MUST do this or MUST do that. Andy Warhol chose to paint soup cans, the fine arts community blew it's stack, called him "mass produced" and "commercial" and original paintings done by Andy Warhol today sell for ridiculous amounts of money.

Now from your art teacher's prospective, she may be arguing over an element called "Composition" which is how all the aspects of an image are presented together.

With the feet of a subject cut off, a lot of fine artist find that unsettling, it's generally frowned upon for any part of the subject to fall off the page (again unless it's a stylistic choice, but only the artist can say if it is or not) a rule of thumb we learn in art school is to give the viewer breathing room, like the margins in a word document.

however, I do feel she is being needlessly strict, the student is making pictures of stick figures, it's not like he/she is trying to produce a perfect real life master rendering.
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Edit: If I'm going to help you in your argument, I need clarification. Were the feet cut off the bottom of the page, or was the whole stick figure on the page and just simply didn't have feet?

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Like this, we'll call this "A"

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Or like this "B"

 

[DrgoFx]

Edit: If I'm going to help you in your argument, I need clarification. Were the feet cut off the bottom of the page, or was the whole stick figure on the page and just simply didn't have feet?

Simply did not have feet, like pegs almost. I know I've seen that "style" several times, but I can't place where. It wasn't like "Lol, I'm a terrible artist, STICK FIGURES!" it was an actual stylistic choice since we were doing African art, and she chose to using this form of style. I'm just having trouble here, so.

And yes, I am aware of the subjective factor of Art. What's odd though is this art teacher is normally very open about artistic forms. It was very odd to see her make a comment about feet missing of all things.

 

[JesterRaiin]

I'm not exactly sure if you're after sketches with feet-less stick figures, or you're seeking paintings of famous artists. If the second scenario is true, then you may want to try your chances with these :

Spoiler: Warning, some images may be considered +18

Pablo Picasso
http://www.egodesign.ca/_files/articles/blocks/7192_grand_nu_au_fauteuil_rouge_pablo_picasso_5_mai_1929.jpg

http://www.promethidion.eu/UserFiles/Image/picasso_795pix.jpg

Hans Rudi Giger

http://fierceliveshere.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/hr_giger_3d_lilith.jpg

http://lcart3.narod.ru/image/fantasy/giger/to/hr_giger_thetourist_I.jpg

Dan Oulette

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1h5iTyrl-uQ/TUGmXmuBjtI/AAAAAAAAA_0/-fBziJcj3qY/s1600/dan+ouellette+%25287%2529-arte+grotesca.jpg
,

Additional possibilities : surrealism, cubism, modern renders of cyborgs. Also, plenty of sketches that never bloomed into full paintings (Royo, Frazetta, Vallejo) were missing some important pieces and nobody was butthurt because of that. :]

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Edit: If I'm going to help you in your argument, I need clarification. Were the feet cut off the bottom of the page, or was the whole stick figure on the page and just simply didn't have feet?

Simply did not have feet, like pegs almost. I know I've seen that "style" several times, but I can't place where. It wasn't like "Lol, I'm a terrible artist, STICK FIGURES!" it was an actual stylistic choice since we were doing African art, and she chose to using this form of style. I'm just having trouble here, so.

And yes, I am aware of the subjective factor of Art. What's odd though is this art teacher is normally very open about artistic forms. It was very odd to see her make a comment about feet missing of all things.

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I hope this helps, good luck to you.

 

[DrgoFx]

I'm not exactly sure if you're after sketches with feet-less stick figures, or you're seeking paintings of famous artists. If the second scenario is true, then you may want to try your chances with these :

Spoiler: Warning, some images may be considered +18

Pablo Picasso
http://www.egodesign.ca/_files/articles/blocks/7192_grand_nu_au_fauteuil_rouge_pablo_picasso_5_mai_1929.jpg

http://www.promethidion.eu/UserFiles/Image/picasso_795pix.jpg

Hans Rudi Giger

http://fierceliveshere.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/hr_giger_3d_lilith.jpg

http://lcart3.narod.ru/image/fantasy/giger/to/hr_giger_thetourist_I.jpg

Dan Oulette

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1h5iTyrl-uQ/TUGmXmuBjtI/AAAAAAAAA_0/-fBziJcj3qY/s1600/dan+ouellette+%25287%2529-arte+grotesca.jpg
,

Additional possibilities : surrealism, cubism, modern renders of cyborgs. Also, plenty of sketches that never bloomed into full paintings (Royo, Frazetta, Vallejo) were missing some important pieces and nobody was butthurt because of that. :]

Thanks! I have some evidence of actual artists and...

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I hope this helps, good luck to you.

...Evidence to support the African art factor! Unfortunately a have a feeling she'll just wave it away for whatever reason, but thanks for the help! I wasn't sure exactly how to find the pictures since all I could think of googling was "Feetless Art" and that wouldn't bring up too many examples...Thanks again, guys!

 

[Soviet Steve]

...Evidence to support the African art factor! Unfortunately a have a feeling she'll just wave it away for whatever reason, but thanks for the help! I wasn't sure exactly how to find the pictures since all I could think of googling was "Feetless Art" and that wouldn't bring up too many examples...Thanks again, guys!

She doesn't permit art if it's made by Africans? Isn't that just a tad racist? >.>

 

[gazumped]

I think I've had pretty good art teachers because none of them would ever try to say someone's art is 'wrong', I'm not sure it's possible for art to be 'wrong'.

They would, however, try to stop you from being lazy and not bothering to draw hands and feet. But they'd do it by criticising your motivation behind the piece (i.e. "Did you really make the artistic choice to not give it feet? Or can you just not be arsed?"), not criticise the piece itself.

 

[Riki Darnell]

I hate being in my art class because I'm a natural Devil's Advocate, so I just hate watching the students and teacher fight over little things when I see both sides of the arguments in both right and wrong forms. But this time, I took a side. Our latest argument was over the human anatomy. My classmate was making a painting with a stick figure-like style to it and our teacher said it was wrong because the figure did not have feet. Ignoring the total "Wtf is that about?" question, I stood up for the student and claimed it was a stylistic choice and several artists have chosen to paint or illustrate like that...Now I've been tasked with bringing in examples of such styles.

So um...help? Also, who's in the right here? Did I choose the right side in this argument? I mean, Art is a complicated subject in the realm of teaching, and I think our art teacher was just picking factors to yell.

I know how your friend feels >_>; When I was in High School my art teacher hated how I painted. I would always do a bold outline on the main person/thing in the painting and he would be livid over that. "There aren't any real lines in real life" is what I would hear over and over again. He gave me an F one time, even tho I did all the guidelines I was supposed to follow.

 

[Erana]

I hate being in my art class because I'm a natural Devil's Advocate, so I just hate watching the students and teacher fight over little things when I see both sides of the arguments in both right and wrong forms. But this time, I took a side. Our latest argument was over the human anatomy. My classmate was making a painting with a stick figure-like style to it and our teacher said it was wrong because the figure did not have feet. Ignoring the total "Wtf is that about?" question, I stood up for the student and claimed it was a stylistic choice and several artists have chosen to paint or illustrate like that...Now I've been tasked with bringing in examples of such styles.

So um...help? Also, who's in the right here? Did I choose the right side in this argument? I mean, Art is a complicated subject in the realm of teaching, and I think our art teacher was just picking factors to yell.

wat

wat

nope
...Rebooting...

Your art teacher is arguing with the students over how they make their work? I don't like to jump to conclusions over issues I'm not super-well informed on, but having to ask you to come up with examples...?

Your teacher sounds absolutely terrible. When I was taking a life drawing course, the instructor said specifically to omit body parts if they don't do justice to the composition or parts of the body you've already rendered.

That being said, the fine art community especially tends to be a little strict, a piece of artwork MUST do this or MUST do that. Andy Warhol chose to paint soup cans, the fine arts community blew it's stack, called him "mass produced" and "commercial" and original paintings done by Andy Warhol today sell for ridiculous amounts of money.

Warhol was controversial, as he was an early figure in what would become Postmodernism (Forerunners of any art movement generally do get a lot of flack, from impressionists to Duchamp, etc.) but Warhol was never short of money or supporters.

And I've spent a lot of time in the art world, and while it does have all kinds of weird, particular or downright dumb hangups, the behavior of this teacher, if I understand it correctly from the OP, would have them laughed out of any respectable art school.

I think I've had pretty good art teachers because none of them would ever try to say someone's art is 'wrong', I'm not sure it's possible for art to be 'wrong'.

They would, however, try to stop you from being lazy and not bothering to draw hands and feet. But they'd do it by criticising your motivation behind the piece (i.e. "Did you really make the artistic choice to not give it feet? Or can you just not be arsed?"), not criticise the piece itself.

That is a possibility. However, the teacher is asking the OP, who didn't even make the work in question to come up with evidence of this being a stylistic choice. In such a situation, when given such response from a student, why isn't the teacher explaining that yes, while some people do that, in this specific situation they would appreciate their drawing feet?
It doesn't sound at all like they are going the right way with this.

 

[Beautiful Tragedy]

Art is about self expression, if the student feels the painting is more in their vision without feet then so be it. Art, to me, isn't learned, technique is, but style and vision is not. If the project isn't meant or supposed to be realistic, then the artist has the right to change what they wish.

Hell Rob Liefeld has gotten away with not drawing wrists, ankles and alot of the time feet for years, and he's a rich and famous comic book artist.

 

[DoPo]

Simply did not have feet

So-o-o, just like normal stick figures? Can you claim influence by xkcd?