Nude sketch club opens up about community, exhibition in Incheon

A diverse group of amateur artists gather every weekend in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, for a nude croquis club, sketching live models and bonding over art and community rather than seeking flashy results. They recently held an exhibition of their sketches.

A nude model poses at the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Beyond the Line,” which shows works by amateur artists who sketch a nude model every Saturday afternoon. [LEE JEONG-GWON]

On Dec. 2, inside a small art gallery surrounded by rice paddies on Incheon's Seokmo Island, located off the west coast of the peninsula, a young woman in her 20s shed her black dress and revealed her bare body.

About 10 people in their 50s and 60s who were sitting around her quickly switched to work mode. Their gaze pierced the naked model while their hands, each holding a pencil or piece of charcoal, swiftly grazed the pages of their sketchbook.

When the face of the nude model began to turn red due to the stress of holding the strange pose with twisted limbs, a bell rang once and she quickly switched to the next pose — a more daring one. She sat down on her knees with her legs spread and tilted her head backwards.

Artworks made at Lee Jeong-gwon's nude croquis club, left by Lee and right by webtoon artist Won Seong-deok [LEE JEONG-GWON, WON SEONG-DEOK]

The group all turned to a new page in their sketchbooks to start a new sketch. Despite all drawing the same model, each of the sketches looked different. Some skillfully created impressive nude sketches using professional charcoal pencils, while others awkwardly held their pencil, making shaky lines. Their methods also varied. Some started drawing from the head, others from the legs and some focused on the buttocks.

This was the opening performance to celebrate the first exhibition, titled “Beyond the Line,” of these amateur artists who get together every weekend in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, for a nude croquis club. The exhibit, at Seokmodo Gallery, lasted throughout the month of December.

Croquis is French for "sketch," and usually refers to a quick sketch of a live model.

A caricature of Lee Jeong-gwon, who goes by the nickname Teacher Gaga [LEE JEONG-GWON]

The club is run by Lee Jeong-gwon, a former infographic journalist who worked in the media industry for nearly 30 years. Lee, whom the club members call Teacher Gaga, opened the art studio in 2017, which gradually attracted a diverse group of middle-aged and older self-proclaimed artists from all walks of life. One of the club members is an active webtoon artist. There's also a former cartoonist who just couldn't adapt to digital mediums, a painter who is a member of the country's art association and a civil servant who lived a life that had nothing to do with art.

Exhibition by the nude croquis club, titled “Beyond the Line,” held at Seokmodo Gallery in Incheon, on Dec. 2 [YOO JU-HYUN]

Though they came to Lee's art studio to sketch, they are not so interested in honing their skills. Rather, they are enthusiasts who cherish the act of gathering together to draw nude croquis more than pursuing impressive results.

“About 10 years ago, I casually started doodling with a pencil and became captivated by the subtle sensation of graphite gliding over the paper's surface,” Lee said.

“That's what made me open up the class and led me to be here today. The thrill of capturing the living, breathing human body in a race against time, the moments of being utterly immersed and lost in the process — that's the charm of croquis.”

Every Saturday afternoon, after two hours of intense focus while sketching a nude model, the members take the time to socialize. That bonding time is something that's hard to resist, the members say, and what makes it hard for anyone who has joined the class to leave.

Nude croquis by amateur artists at the exhibit at Seokmodo Gallery in Incheon, on Dec. 2 [YOO JU-HYUN]

The exhibition was realized after strong requests by members who have been regularly attending the studio for years.

An exhibition committee was formed around Won Myeong-ok, who volunteered to be the inaugural president. Jeon Hyo-jin, a member who also runs Seokmodo Gallery, offered the space for the event.

Members say the exhibition isn't just for showcasing their work to others: It's for their own satisfaction.

Won, who used to be an oil painter, said she fell in love with creating her own nude croquis while battling with cancer.

“When I was oil painting, I used to always be alone. It's not bad, but I found new energy doing this group work, getting immersed in something together and communicating with each other,” she said. “We share personal worries and advice, creating synergy in each other's lives. Sketching croquis has also helped my condition so much that I hardly miss a class.”

She added that she was able to discover things that she hadn't noticed before in life when she's totally focused on the nude model.

“I used to be caught up in my own world. But now I started listening to others and began to feel even the littlest details others may not notice in life. Drawing beautiful lines seems to have refined my heart as well."

Members of the nude croquis club cut the tape at the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Beyond the Line,” held at Seokmodo Gallery in Incheon on Dec. 2. [YOO JU-HYUN]

Oh Tae-sook is 70 years old and the oldest member of the group. She recently underwent surgery on her leg, but that did not stop her from going to Seokmo Island for her first exhibition.

"I get to really concentrate when I sketch, so that I can forget about myself and all the troubles. That's the charm,” she said. "But above all, I love the mingling, this bonding. It's hard to have that when you reach a certain age. So this is very meaningful.

"The time of concentration that makes me forget myself is attractive, but it's this free and joyful communication that I really enjoy,” Oh said.

The nude model in her 20s, who wished to stay anonymous, said she used to be a gugak (traditional Korean music) percussionist, but turned to nude modeling as a side job after her livelihood became challenging after the Covid-19 pandemic.

A crouqis by Won Seong-deok, an adult webtoon artist who has been a regular at the studio for seven years [WON SEONG-DEOK]

One of the members, Won Seong-deok, is a professional who studied art and has been drawing nude croquis for over 20 years.

Won is an adult webtoon artist and has been a regular at the studio for seven years, after spending a long time visiting various art studios to study the human body.

"I've been doing croquis since my 20s, but I've never had as much fun as I do here,” Won said.

“Instead of being the sole entity of my art, I feel like I'm having a close conversation with the model, which has been a great learning experience.”

BY YOO JU-HYUN [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]