By Chloe Dinsdale
Ian O’Brien taught a “Drawing From The Masters” class on Feb. 9 at the Meadows Museum, highlighting a portrait done by Joaquín Sorolla. Students and community participants gathered around with sketchpads and pencils to learn how to draw the portrait of an old English man sitting in a chair.
O’Brien instructed how to draw this portrait of a man by using shapes. He said, “By using various shapes, we find symmetry in the portrait.” Symmetry is part of what makes a work of art look real. Student’s sketchpads were full of ovals, rectangles and cylinders to correctly proportion the man painted in Sorolla’s portrait.
A first-time visitor to the museum, Alexandra Johnson, said she really enjoyed learning about proportion and symmetry in portraiture. She also loved having the chance to practice sketching, as art is a dear hobby of hers. She mentioned that O’Brien was a wonderful instructor with great energy and enthusiasm about art, and especially about Sorolla.
O’Brien’s energy and enthusiasm comes from a love of art but also a love of teaching art. In fact, he teaches art to kids as his profession in Dallas. When O’Brien was in school, he studied art education, drawing and painting at the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at San Antonio and has since taught various grade levels of art class.
O’Brien’s favorite part about teaching art at the museum is watching people improve from class to class. He said he has a lot of fun with his students and hopes to keep the program going and hopefully gain new students.
Johnson noted that the reason she came to the drawing class was because she wanted to not only draw, but also explore the Sorolla exhibition, “Sorolla and America.” The exhibition features numerous portraits of the modern era done by Sorolla. His works are not only featured at SMU, but in museums and collections all over the world.
Every Sunday, “Drawing From The Masters” takes place. O’Brien noted that he teaches a lot of the classes on Sundays. He is excited for the next exhibition rotation because the rotation of exhibitions allows him to teach new techniques and subject matter. “Sorolla and America” has been showcased at the Meadows Museum since Dec. 13 and will move out April 19. The next exhibition will then move in and O’Brien will be able to teach a new art perspective and practice.
Front desk receptionist Emily Ward reported that around 20 people come to “Drawing From The Masters” each Sunday. She hopes the number of people attending will grow. Johnson exclaimed that she would love to attend class again to get some more practice. Veterans of the class at Meadows agreed.
