Thank you for all the kind messages and stories about your time with Barry. May this photo, taken in class by one of his students, Don Adair, remind you that Barry cared about each one of you, and appreciated hearing about your lives after graduation.

contacting you here from the new york area//- we just concluded the very first MEET ME IN ST LOUIS  BALL for washington u .alumni......it had been forty years!after living in florence 1976-1978 and absorbing sculpture;;;;and  having a  long career back here in the states...  barry schactman was indeed an incandescent star among many...*****  that washington university was ahead of every school in  the usa is and was an understatement.. in all the arts and sciences we have achieved our goals///there had not been a film issued with barry in action in the classroom.. i have a certain feeling that  something will come to fruition.. what's the rush...paul kollmar fa. la. 1977  washington university......

As a full time professional artist (freelance illustrator and now painter), I wouldn't have made it without the drawing skills I picked up in one year of instruction at Wash U. under Barry Schactman. He wasn't  just the finest art instructor I ever had, he was the finest teacher I've ever had, in any subject. His knowledge, passion and integrity were boundless. Thanks, Barry!

Now here's a factoid gathered from figure structure:  In males the clavicle continues to grow until age 25.   I can never put pencil to paper or even mouse to computer without the many words of wisdom of Professor Schactman echoing in my head.  He taught us not just to draw the figure, but an entire philosophy of looking and seeing that has stayed with me for over 45 years.  My career in painting and graphic arts was enhanced by having been taught by him.  He was a great and inspirational teacher.

Professor Schactman had been on my mind a lot lately.  I'm designing a course at DigiPen in Seattle that is modeled after his Sophomore drawing class that he taught at Washington University.  

I had even thought of contacting him to get advice. It's a shock to hear that he has passed on.  

He was, hands down, the best teacher that i had at Wash U.  He taught real skills that I've kept for a lifetime.  I'm busy passing on his love of line and form to the next generation...game designers and animators.  

The Old Masters live on.  You taught me that Barry.

Schactman.  A brilliant teacher who instilled in his students a love of drawing, an understanding of three dimensional form and the importance of resilience. Washington University was and still is a fantastic place to study art. I was fortunate to study with Barry Schactman, Ed Boccia, Bill Kohn, and Peter Marcus. Wow! What an education! - Nancy Scheinman (Baltimore, MD

Mr. Schactman was just about the best drawing teacher I ever had. He made me understand what it was to draw three dimensionally. I still have my favorite drawing from his figure structure class. When I did student teaching at Wash. U. his son was in my class.  It was a summer drawing class offered to talented high school graduating seniors.  Mr. Schactman told me to just be myself and don't be intimidated. That was not an easy task.  His son was an amazing artist as well.  It was a humbling experience. I am so sad to hear of both of their passings. My condolences to the family.

An era has ended at Washington U. in St. Louis with the passing of both art professors Barry Schactman and Ed Boccia.  Barry had such a profound impact on so many of us in his Figure Structure 1 and 2 classes at Wash. U.  I remember taking at least two maybe three drawing classes from him.  Barry's utter intensity, obsession and high expectations for his students was unlike any other.  I will always remember his clean white tee shirts, dark jeans, and that inimitable Pall Mall cigarette dangling between his yellowed fingers.  He would make these stunningly analytical blackboard drawings to teach us how to render a foreshortened upper arm or a leg or the way to make a "cross contour drawing."  He would lecture about how the great trochanter fits into the pelvis, how the iliac crest sits on top of the pelvis, articulations of the metatarsals and phalanges, the location of the zygomatic arch better known as the cheekbone. (I always loved to say zygomatic out loud).  Barry owned these words.  

His two favorite models for students to draw from were BRITA, who would allow Barry to draw with conté crayon on her 70 year old naked body so that he could point out the locations of various bones and muscles and then the incredibly agile JULES! Jules had this rather shocking, even freakish ability to completely suck in his gut so that Barry could point out each and every bone of his ribcage!  (I fondly remember the school Christmas party in Bixby Hall where Jules performed with his band, Jules Carlos and The Bopadeers. Jules was the star of the show.  To everyone's utter amazement we watched while Jules showed us how he could completely suck in his torso and then with a lit cigarette in his mouth, slither under the limbo bar that was a mere 5-6" off the floor.)  
Then there were the books I remember that Barry required for class, "The Natural Way to Draw" by Kimon Nicolades and "The Language of Drawing" by Edward Hill.  I still have these books.  He would show us the graphic etchings in a slender book of Mauricio Lasansky's "The Nazi Drawings."  I remember Barry telling us about his close friendship and indebtedness to his professor and mentor Rico Lebrun at Yale.  

I have so many poignant memories of this brilliant, intense professor, artist and mentor to me.  Finally, I recall that Barry would occasionally tell us in class that when he died he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes made into vine charcoal.  He was joking of course, I think.  RIP Barry.

I don't think anyone who had Schactman (as we still call him) as a professor could ever forget him!  What clarity of vision.  Wonderful guidance...and a great sense of humor!  He was so jocular.  There was always a moment of hilarity in my section of figure structure class when, without fail, I would be so engrossed in trying to draw the correct planes of the model that I wouldn't sense him standing and looking over my shoulder, and he'd do that little throat-clearing thing of his as he was about to tell me something, and I'd scream in surprise.  :)   Figure structure was NOT an easy class - but it left an indelible mark on my artistic development!  I also took his advanced drawing class since I knew I'd get so much out of it.  Almost any time I look at something I'm drawing and start thinking about turning the plane...I think of Schactman.  And I'm not sure I can ever bring myself to throw away my end-of-semester full skeleton drawings - they bring back such memories of that class and how much I learned.  I am so grateful to have had him as a teacher.  My condolences to his family and friends.

What a dear and brilliant man. His legacy is deep and timeless, as it is reflected not only in his work but also the work of his students. It was a privilege to know someone who had such a special combination of talent, character, humor and humility. I am so glad to have been his student, and to have one of his incredible drawings by which to remember him.

I was a student of Mr. Schactman's. I learned so much from him. He was tough but kind. One of the best instructors ever. I still have some of my drawings I did in his class. I'll never forget drawing the whole skeleton from memory. He was a gem. My sincere condolences to his family.
Carolyn Dixon Dyess

Wow, I loved taking his class. He was a tough, tough instructor, but I learned so much. I still have many drawings from that class, and I'm thankful I purchased two of his drawings upon graduation. I look at them on my walls every day, they are so fantastic. My condolences to the family and students whose lives he touched.

Dear Amy,

My sincere condolences for the loss of your father. I was a classmate and friend of your brother Joe, and I spent many hours in your family home, where I always felt welcome. Your parents took me to my first Fellini movie! And they both helped to instill in me a lifelong appreciation for beauty and irony. May peace and grace be with you.

Dear Ana Grace, Amy, Rhoda, and Lilly, May peace fill your hearts as you recall your fondest memories of Barry.

The ripples of his teaching are still spreading outward.My interest in anatomy was multiplied by his dedication to teaching and drawing. My students surely benefit from his vision as well.

Dear Amy, what a wonderful, talented man, your Dad was.  We were friends many years ago, and I remember helping Mom and Dad moving into your first home.   I treasure the works of his that I have.  Sincere condolences.
                        Joy (Dubinsky) Lending

Prof. Schactman taught me draw. It's the kind of debt that can never really be repaid, but I think of him every time my pencil touches paper.

Barry was a sweet and kind man.  His memory will be living.  Blessings,

Barry was always the consummate gentleman with a kind heart and a bright smile.He will be missed by the entire family including my 2 granddaughters. May he rest in peace.

OBITUARY

Barry R. Schactman

May 10, 1930 – July 3, 2015

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