Artists Working from Life

From Michelangelo’s marbles to photographers’ self-portraits, artists have always been fascinated by their creative encounters with the human body. Often a key part of their early training, drawing and sculpting from life go on to inform their later work in unexpected and inspiring ways. This illuminating publication brings together interviews with 19 artists from all disciplines, including painters, sculptors and conceptual artists, working in a variety of different media. Through in-depth conversations with them, the authors explore the many ways artists work ‘from life’: from Jeremy Deller’s open life class with Iggy Pop as model, to Jonathan Yeo’s innovative use of 3D scanners and virtual reality. An introductory essay provides the historical context for a practice deeply rooted in artistic tradition. Generously illustrated with reproductions of the artists’ work and photography of their working methods, this book overturns many of our prior assumptions about working from life.