life-class

IPA/lˈaɪfklˈas/
IPA/lˈaɪfklˈæs/

life-class — noun

1. a scheduled lesson or workshop in which art students draw, paint, or sculpt from

1.nounB2
Definition

a scheduled lesson or workshop in which art students draw, paint, or sculpt from a living human model rather than from photographs, casts, or imagination.

Example

Yumi attended a weekly life-class at the city art school every Tuesday afternoon.

collocation: attended a weekly life-class

In the life-class, the model held a seated pose for nearly an hour without moving.

prepositional phrase opener: In the life-class

Common collocations
  • attend a life-class
  • take a life-class
  • sign up for a life-class
  • life-class model
  • life-class session
  • life-class instructor
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

life-class + noun (model/session/instructor/room)

Usage Note

Life-class (hyphenated) and life class (two words) are both common. The hyphenated form appears more often before another noun, as in life-class model or life-class session.

Common Mistakes

I signed up for a life class to learn how to cook.
I signed up for a life-class because I want to improve my figure drawing.
Life-class specifically refers to art classes with a live human model, not general skills or life-skills courses.

2. the practice or discipline of drawing or painting from a living human model as a

2.nounB2
Definition

the practice or discipline of drawing or painting from a living human model as a regular part of artistic training, valued for developing observation and proportion skills.

Example

Many art schools require students to complete several terms of life-class before graduating.

uncountable: several terms of life-class

Life-class teaches observation skills that are useful for all kinds of visual art.

subject as discipline: Life-class teaches

Common collocations
  • life-class practice
  • life-class training
  • terms of life-class
  • life-class for beginners
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

life-class as a subject/discipline (Life-class teaches…)

Usage Note

In this sense life-class is uncountable and does not take a determiner (not a life-class, the life-class). It refers to the practice as a concept rather than any single lesson.

Word family

  • life
    nounA1
  • life drawing
    nounB2
  • life model
    nounB2
  • life study
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Life-class, life drawing class, and figure drawing class all involve drawing a human subject, but they differ in scope and medium. Life-class specifically refers to a structured lesson with a live nude model — the focus is on the whole body from observation. Life drawing class emphasises the act of drawing itself and is the most common term among artists. Figure drawing class is broader: it may include drawing from casts, mannequins, or photographs, not necessarily a live model. Portrait class narrows the subject further to the head and shoulders only, and the model may be clothed. For example, a student might take a life-class on Tuesday and a portrait class on Thursday, each requiring different skills.

life drawing classfigure drawing classportrait class

Common collocations

Nouns

  • life-class model
  • life-class session
  • life-class instructor
  • life-class room
  • life-class practice

Phrases

  • attend a life-class
  • take a life-class
  • sign up for a life-class
  • teach a life-class

Prepositions

  • in a life-class
  • during a life-class

Etymology

English

The compound life-class emerged in the late 19th century in British art schools, combining life in the sense of 'living subject' (as opposed to drawing from a cast or photograph) with class meaning 'a group receiving instruction'. The hyphenated spelling reflects its early use as an attributive noun phrase.