Kimon Nicolaïdes

Kimon Nicolaїdes (1891–1938) was an American art teacher and artist. He was born in Washington, D.C. and after some initial family opposition, he studied at the Art Students' League in New York. He served in France in World War I. [Publisher's information from the 1972 British edition of "The Natural Way to Draw", André Deutsch Limited, London.]

After returning from the war he taught at the Art Students' League [ [http://www.theartstudentsleague.org/past_instructors.html Art Students League of New York] - Instructors and Lecturers - Past and Present] [ [http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/authordetail.cfm?authorID=3909 Houghton Mifflin] - bio] . His method of teaching, set down in his classic book "The Natural Way to Draw" (finished and published posthumously), has been influential in western art teaching. Modified versions are still widely used in art schools today.

He advocated a three-pronged approach to learning to draw:
# slow and meticulous contour drawing,
# free and rapid gesture drawing, and
# vigorous tonal drawings of weight or mass.

His method is in many ways opposed to that of John Ruskin, the famed 19th-century British author of "The Elements of Drawing."

"The Natural Way to Draw" was originally published in 1941 and is still in print after over 60 years.

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