Joshua Jacobo

The original “canon” or “kanon” of proportions by ancient Greek sculptor Polykleitos has shaped all of our systems of proportions today. Unfortunately scholars and artists still have no idea of how this system functioned.

Artists over the centuries such as Leonardo da Vinci have aimed to reconstruct and modify the ancient proportions based on ancient textual sources like Vitruvius and Pliny the Elder and by measuring ancient statues directly.

I have set out to reverse engineer this original canon system myself based on measurements from extant Roman copies of the sculptor’s now lost originals and I’ve been making exciting progress. Here is a drawing showing what I believe to be the basis of the system. Nested circles within squares creating an irregular grid of sorts into which the figure is designed. There’s much more to this of course and I’ve more work to do, but this much I’m happy to share now.

Pliny the Elder in Book 34 of Naturalis Historia: “Polycleitus is deemed to have perfected this science of statuary and to have refined the art of carving sculpture, just as Pheidias is considered to have revealed it. A discovery that was entirely his own is the art of making statues throwing their weight on one leg, although Varro says these figures are of a square build and almost all made on one model.”

“Square build” indeed! Much more to come.

Proportions of the torso, head and neck in my sketchbook. I am continuing my reconstruction of the original Kanon or Canon of proportions by Ancient Greek artist Polykleitos. This is a system of proportions than underpins all of our modern proportion approaches yet artists and scholars do not know how this system worked. So I’m working this out myself and learning so much in the process. For example I now believe that the polykleitian canon despite art history’s shared wisdom, is actually an 8 head—not a 7 head system. The hair is included in the one seventh of the total height but if you place the facial portion of the head correctly as 1/10th of the total height and divide that into the famous facial thirds, it places the eyeline which as we know is halfway to the crown. Doubling the eyeline in the canon gives you the cranium height. Measure cranium height to chin and you have 1/8 of total height. I found this to be quite surprising but it measures out and the result is something like my sketch above.

I hope everybody is ready to 👏get 👏 back👏to👏werk. Saturday Group Coaching with Joshua are back!
.schwaiger.fineart

My work on classical methods and patterns continues. Here, I am using “relievo” rendering techniques to bring my geometric patterns into faux relief. This is a way to check my constructions without having to model or sculpt them in 3D. The geometric construction, curves, surfaces, and anatomy are all becoming to merge in my mind and it’s becoming clearer to me what my process should become. This is a later version of the pattern I shared in my last reel.

Sketchbook notes on torso design in stone paper sketchbook in silverpoint. I am using sculptures from classical antiquity to reverse engineer the designs and methods of the past so they can be used by contemporary artists. I’m using my knowledge of anatomy to relate these curves to their real anatomical analogues so I can better understand their traditional depictions.
.schwaiger.fineart

Our second New Masters Academy destination event in as many months is at an end and we are grateful for the unforgettable experiences and new friends we’ve made along the way. Here’s to Santa Fe 2023!

Best. Community. Ever. No lonely, tortured artist archetypes here. Just a community of love and appreciation and a shared vision for a more beautiful and refined future. Some fun and beautiful birthday art from Alex, Celeste, Jim, and Alex. Appreciate it, though obviously I would do it all without the thanks and attention! Lots of beautiful drawings of cake as well, thank I’d love to share if I wasn’t hoarding them🙇‍♂️

There’s nowhere like Florence to ignite our passion for the craft. We are excited for the next adventure and next challenge. Thank you to Joe for the photo ( )

For what have very well have been our only destination event ever, I couldn’t have asked for a better group. It was the perfect combination of dedication to the craft, shared knowledge and inspiration, and fun. The love is real y’all. Thank you to Joe () for taking this group picture!

Unbelievably well preserved 2,000 year old “Tomb of Cerberus” just discovered in Naples. Notice the hatching and egg head construction.

A special thank you to the NMA family (pictured from left to right: Sarah, Moritz, Adam, Chelsea, and on the right Johanna, Eleanor, and Glenn) for making our first destination event an unforgettable experience for everyone. Of course, this would be nothing without our amazing students (more posts to come). 🙇‍♂️

Good to be back.

Thank you, Director General of National Museums for the follow. We are honored to gather in Italy and learn from her great art tradition. 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹

Sketching after Danish academic drawings from NMA master image library. Love sketching to unwind. Dip pen walnut ink on stone paper sketchbook.

I have been using dotted lines as my underdrawings often lately and I’m into it. A lot of advantages.

Lecture notes for instruction on renaissance drawing techniques for my group coaching sessions at . I love any excuse to focus on fundamentals!

More work on Venus. Marble carved with hand tools. After the antique.

Sketching from Pergamon altar to decompress.

Thank you to our dear friend Erin for fixing my mountain haircut. ❤️

Sailing with the family. Boat stayed upright.

Here are some sketchbook pages from my ongoing trip. Beetles and airport bananas. a4 stone paper sketchbook and metal pencil.

Tink tink tink…

Figure sketches from life drawing this evening in silverpoint on a4 stone paper sketchbook. 1, 5, 10, and 20 minute poses.

Silverpoint stylus on stone paper sketchbook. 1-20 minutes poses.

NMA Prom in 45 minutes. LETSGO

Happy birthday to the love of my life .schwaiger.fineart! So grateful to be on this journey with you. ❤️❤️❤️

Working out the construction of some traditional patterns.

Those classical and Hellenistic masterpieces are freely positioned but their constituents are still stereometric patterns or drawings on the facets of the block. These could be using some kind of simple 2D framework or as I’m becoming more convinced of—a grid like the Egyptians. It’s all drawing even when it’s sculpting in the round in stone.

TEN YEARS OF NEW MASTERS ACADEMY! Tens of millions of video views, thousands of hours of instruction, hundreds of thousands of professional reference images and 3d models, hoards of beginners who have become professional artists and changed their lives working in top studios around the world, the internet’s best discord server for learning art, and of course the absolute dream: team, faculty, and community. What’s next for NMA?? Join my stream today as part of our Ten Year Anniversary Celebration! Ahahahahdkejqbsk

Older drawing of the female figure that I shared with NMA students. This hatching style I learned from studying Michelangelo which was my “art school” so to speak. This was about where I was in my development before I committed to the “pattern” approach