See a DAAP Studio from 50 Years Ago

In its current issue, the University of Cincinnati Magazine is featuring a photo of a UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning studio from 50 years ago.

When this picture was taken for the 1963 Cincinnatian yearbook, the college was simply known as DAA. Planning had not yet been added. The photo does not look to be staged, as you can note the somewhat disinterested gaze and pose of two students in the background.

The faculty member teaching is Phil Foster.

Jeff Seibert, a 1981 alum of DAAP, wrote in:

Phil Foster must have been born a curmudgeon. He was a wizened Popeye of a man who was the greatest art teacher I will ever have. He’s the only person I’ve known who could mix white, yellow and green pigment into a beautiful blue hue. Most of the mythic stories about him are true. I witnessed this iconic example: Phil didn’t teach you to draw; he taught you to see. He technique involved capturing a still life with a single line that divided your canvas precisely in half. The drama of that first line could be something to behold, but its complexity often eluded the best of us. When an ashtray was not close at hand and a student’s work somehow deserved it, Phil would put out his ever-present cigarette in a strategic location on your drawing. Funny thing was, it often made an interesting composition out of a mediocre exercise.

• Check out the latest issue of the University of Cincinnati Magazine online.
• See the above photo in the magazine's "On Campus Yesterday" feature.