Schloss Eggenberg- The World Behind the Wall

   The grounds of Schloss Eggenberg are one of my favorite places in Graz.  The tram that goes there seems always to be under construction and the neighborhood leading right up to its gates seems somehow to slowly peter out as the majestic cast iron gates come into view. It is strange since there are a gymnasium, a restaurant, and a large sports complex literally adjoining it. Yet it is always quiet, often almost silent. Large Cast iron gates and a gatekeeper keep the city outside and the peacocks in, and stepping through them the world changes. Large plane trees stand in open lawns, a gravel path leads straight ahead to the small Schloss itself and the hills which border the city rise up behind it, effectively hemming it in. A private world, all to itself. The funny thing is that no matter how many people are in the park at any given time it always feels peaceful. There is nothing special about this park, no meticulously trimmed botanical garden, beautiful art or exotic plants to awe a visitor, yet it has a certain air, a contentment which seems to emerge from the ancient trees, wooded groves and hidden paths.

   To add to this understated paradisical feeling, Schloss Eggenberg houses a number of peacocks. It is a sort of zoo where the entire areal functions as the habitat of its sole residents. They are not always immediately visible upon entering the grounds as they tend to spend the majority of their time clustered near the Schloss itself, either in its grass-filled moat, the rose garden on the small hill to the side, or the walled planetary garden slightly behind it. You can see them lumbering across the grass, roosting in the trees and strutting around.

   Schloss Eggenberg also houses the Old gallery belonging to the citywide Universalmuseum Joanneum. A collection containing medieval, religious, and classical art. And if there is anything that seems not to interest the general public on a weekday morning, it is certainly this. Therefore, I have the place more or less to myself when I manage a morning visit. A few mothers push their young children in strollers and there are one or two elderly couples out for a walk but in general, all is still and I can immerse myself in the combined pleasure of looking, walking, searching for peacock feathers, and observing the animals. It was thus that I came to this garden two weeks ago on a sketching assignment for an online course. The assignment was to observe live animals and do as many gesture drawings as possible. I started with my cat who was asleep, but then felt I wanted to draw something a little more interesting. Many of my classmates are from Australia and are producing work featuring the most interesting plant and animal life. As so many T-shirts announce, 'there are no kangaroos in Austria' so I decided on peacocks. While they may not be as exciting as koala bears they are certainly more exotic than the common house cat. At least than my common house cat who had spent the morning sleeping.

   Although not my first time drawing animals- see my animal portraits, it is the first time I have attempted to draw live, active animals. What a challenge! As hard as it is to believe, I think people are actually a lot calmer than animals, they sit, commute, relax, drink coffee, stand at bus stops. Animals, by comparison, are always on the move. And the artist trying to capture them on paper has the choice to be likewise engaged or to have found a larger number of animals to observe. I luckily was able to find several to observe simultaneously.

   One of the tips a painting teacher once gave me, was to observe the animal for a while and then look down and draw as much as possible, then look back up, and down again, drawing everything I could remember. Go on repeating this process and after a while, there should be a significant number of animal body parts on the page as well as partially finished sketches, called gesture sketches. Put these together, and along with the innate knowledge gleaned from careful observation you are able to draw a complete animal.
   Surprisingly this worked better than I had anticipated and I left with about 4 pages of peacock gestures. None of the works so far have yielded amazing results but they did come in useful this week as I worked more intensively on animal and bird anatomy. I was able to use the sketches to produce more life-like poses and positions.

Next week we will be rendering a polished drawing and I have yet to see whether it will be plant, animal or bird. If it is Bird, the peacocks will once more take center stage, and I will probably be making another trip to Schloss Eggenberg to gather information for the more intricate detailing. If on the other hand, I have to draw an animal, I will be spending my next visit to Schloss Eggenberg enjoying that wonderful peace that is so typical.




   Have you tried drawing animals and birds from life? Did you find it easy or difficult? Do you have a favorite method or technique? Let me know in the comments.

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