What is drawing and why do we do it
“All Art is but dirtying the paper delicately”
- John Ruskin
Symbols
Nelson Goodman ‘Languages of Art - Approach to a Theory of Symbols’ https://monoskop.org/images/1/1b/Goodman_Nelson_Languages_of_Art.pdf
What is Drawing Research UWE
http://www.uwedrawingresearch.com/symposium-2023-what-is-drawing-research.html
Drawing Distinctions: The Varieties of Graphic Expression
https://www.academia.edu/91884293/Drawing_Distinctions_The_Varieties_of_Graphic_Expression
Karen Ströbel What if Drawing is a Delicately Braided Rope of Anger, Love and Desire that Binds Us Together?
Drawing is an attitude, an antenna. Drawing often reduced to formal qualities or aspects: Lines etc. Freedom, subversion, resistence not so much associated with the social gestures of drawing.
Equitable Ways of Being
What makes drawing relevant today? What can it contribute to the urgencies facing contemporary society: the environmental crisis, the effects of capital accumulation and struggles for social justice in terms of race, class, gender and sexuality? These are some of the questions that we have been asking as Drawing Room prepares to settle into its new permanent home in Bermondsey, London. Drawing Room was founded in 2002 as a public, non-profit institution dedicated to the exploration and display of drawing, its practice, theory and methodology. It aims to reflect what the medium has offered artists for centuries: a means to break an impasse, take risks, think through and personalise historical and contemporary injustice, communicate ideas, trouble and broadcast political issues and resist finish or closure. Our mission is to champion the unlimited potential of drawing to help us understand ourselves, each other and our evolving world.
Drawing is arguably the medium that is least extractive of the environment’s resources, and a celebration of its potential symbolises a need to reset the way humans exist alongside nature. Painting is the leading currency in art’s global capitalist economy; it is no coincidence that many politically engaged artists working today choose to work with drawing instead.
The varied ways in which artists have used drawing to break new ground is an important thread running throughout this journal issue. This has often been on a ‘needs must’ basis: drawing is affordable, accessible and portable for artists without means.
In an article that investigates the role of drawing in collective mourning and repair, Jung Joon Lee describes the practices of two South Korean artists that honour those who have died as a result of queerphobic and transphobic violence. The United-States-based Kang Seung Lee (b.1978) uses drawing to revisit the works and lives of LGBTQIA+ artists and activists. In their drawings and animations, Ibanjiha (b.1981) has developed a self-consciously simplified style of figurative drawing to reach this pluralistic community. A similar use of repetition and brevity of execution can be found in the work of the Algerian artist Massinissa Selmani (b.1980). In Selmani’s ‘abbreviated aesthetic, substantial ideas are carried by the barest of means’, as described by Roger Malbert in his article commission.3 Selmani grew up during the Algerian Civil War (1991–2002), and a coping strategy was to consider the humanitarian disaster through the lens of newspaper cartoons. Like other artists discussed here, he employs drawing to scrutinise both the personal and the political.
The sixty years of drawing activity outlined in this collection of articles suggests that it remains the medium of possibility; anybody, however constrained, can find the means to draw. The first mark on a surface is the start of working out who you are, what you want to be and do and, perhaps most importantly, to imagine alternative, equitable ways of being.
Burlington Magazine
Issue 10 Drawing https://contemporary.burlington.org.uk/journal
Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice | Journal
Focusing on drawing as a significant discipline in its own right, Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice is a peer-reviewed journal that facilitates ongoing international debates within the wider fields of its practice and research. A vibrant, proactive forum for contemporary ideas, the journal is a platform for interdisciplinary and cross-cultural dissemination of all forms of drawing practice and theory.
A drawing is a visual representation created by marking a surface, typically using tools such as pencils, pens, charcoal, or other instruments. The process of drawing involves the application of lines, shapes, tones, and textures to convey forms, ideas, emotions, or concepts. Drawings can range from simple sketches to highly detailed and complex images, and they are used in a variety of contexts, from artistic expression to technical and scientific illustrations.
What is Drawing?
https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/drtp.1.2.197_1
Drawing, both as process and product, has proved notoriously resistant to definition. The current need for a reformulated definition is made more pressing by the postulation of ‘an expanded field of drawing’ comparable with a presumed expanded field of sculpture. This expanded field of drawing is characterized by a widespread dissolution of the traditional boundaries between categories such as drawing, writing, diagram and code. A revolution in art practice has been accompanied by a corresponding resurgence in analytical theory and critical context, reflected in exhibitions, publications and the formation of professional networks. In such a period of transformation and change it is advisable that we revisit the issue of definition of terms and practices. A variety of approaches to definition are reviewed, including ostensive and stipulative strategies. Wittgenstein’s concept of definition based upon ‘family resemblance’ is tested but found unhelpful in this case. The philosophical concepts of qualia and supervenience are introduced as useful strategies in formulating a consistent definition. The role of intention is appraised, as is the legitimacy of applying the concept of drawing by transference to print media. The article concludes with a proposal that there is still scope for a stipulative definition of drawing, and that the essence of drawing resides in the articulation of planar space. It is proposed that in this context the role of intention is immaterial. It is suggested that by deploying the concepts of qualia and supervenience the appellation ‘drawing’ can with some justification be extended by transference to a wide range of analogous products such as painting and prints.
What do Drawing and Painting Really Mean?
‘What Do Drawing and Painting Really Mean?’ is a question that demands attention. While a reader may be somewhat bemused by the enormity of this book’s title, behind the hyperbole lies a valid and important argument. This is a call to value the materiality of art objects in our critical interpretation of their meaning. Drawings and paintings are precisely that: objects that have been made, produced through the gestural movements an intelligent, imaginative human being who has uniquely embodied perception of the world. We are reminded of Philip Rawson’s observation that there is ‘at the bottom of every drawing an implied pattern of those movements through which it was created’ (Crowther Citation2017, 1). Or, as Tony Godfrey has poetically put it, drawings are ‘an archaeology of acts of touching’ (Citation1990, 9). As such, Crowther argues, drawings and paintings require special attention and a dedicated phenomenology of their own, attentive to their specific ontology as unique objects that have been made by human hand and intellect.
If the title of the book strikes you as ambitious then the content is no less restrained in its breadth and scope, spanning the graphic inscriptions of early hominids to computer-generated drawing of the early twenty-first century. The book is equally bold in its willingness to grapple with disciplinary specificity and identify intrinsic characteristics of a medium, an approach which has become unfashionable, if not regarded with some suspicion, in the wake of late postmodernism and critical emphasis on the post-disciplinary. This presents a refreshing change and, for all that a reader may be sceptical of anything described as ‘intrinsic’, these anxieties are worth putting to one side to hear the argument out.
The argument is sequentially developed, introducing the core principles and the phenomenology of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. The first chapter makes a convincing case for the importance of imagination, as a quasi-sensory faculty, in our individual experience of and interpretation of the world. In order to identify principles intrinsic to the act of human mark-making, the following chapter focuses on inscriptions on a shell made by early hominids in 47,000 BC to establish the primacy of mark-making as a an expression of human self-consciousness. Unsurprisingly, this section relies heavily on supposition and interpretation and it is here that a reader may be most wary of claims for inherent qualities. Chapter 3, the largest chapter, fleshes out the principle phenomenology of line and mark, including their relationship to pictorial space. This discussion is further developed in the subsequent chapter of which consider the creation of ‘aesthetic space’, and how it operates in generating meaning. The following chapter looks at the temporal dimension of the preservation of experience in pictorial images, noting contrasts between photography-taken in an instant- and drawing and painting, produced through sequential accumulation of marks. The penultimate two chapters deal with abstract art and computer-generated imagery.
Whatever reservations the reader may have about the scope of the content, Crowther is attentive to his reader, guiding us through the argument with clear signposting and summaries, making links between chapters and ideas. The accessible and informative tone carries the reader along through what is sometimes quite complex and diverse material.
At times, the conflation of drawing and painting is frustrating. Although differences in disciplines are addressed, these can create convolutions as opposed to clarity. Arguably in our post-disciplinary climate, such disciplinary distinctions are unnecessary but that undermines the central argument for specificity. Another slight disappointment is that the definitions of drawing and painting remain on the conventional side. Despite the cover blurb stating ‘there are as many meanings to drawing and painting as there are cultural contexts for them to exist in’, the discussion feels somewhat behind developments in contemporary drawing. While the increasing capacity of computers is discussed in its own discrete chapter in relation to the implications for the autographic mark, less is said about performative drawing or other sculptural or expanded forms. This feels an oversight given the prominence of body, gesture within this increasingly expanded field of practice.
While it is easy to get annoyed, these quibbles obscure the significance of the books overall achievement. The author makes no bones in his opposition to a ‘network’ approach to theory, where works of art are understood through their social relations. The emphasis here is squarely on recognizing the qualities of material artefacts and attempting to theorize the tacit knowledge embedded in the making process. As such, the book makes a welcome contribution to the philosophy of the visual arts, offering a much-needed theoretical alternative to continental philosophy for practice-based doctoral theses.
The volume builds upon the author’s considerable track record of publications on aesthetics and phenomenology, notably Art and Embodiment (Citation1993), Phenomenology of the Visual Arts (Citation2009) and Phenomenologies of Art and Vision (Citation2013). The content has been formed from a number of existing essays by the author, though considerably altered and developed for the book. In contrast to earlier works, the particular emphasis of this book is the relationship between gesture and outcome in manifest in the indexical traces of drawing and painting.
The relationship between mind, hand and mark is familiar territory in the burgeoning field of drawing research and it is useful to mark a contrast with significant related publications. Notably David Rosand’s excellent scholarly volume Drawing Acts (Citation2002), reprinted in paperback this year which develops a phenomenological appreciation of drawing visual analysis of specific master drawings. The other is Catherine de Zegher and Avis Newman’s influential The Stage of Drawing Gesture and Act (Citation2003), an exhibition catalogue featuring artworks essays reflecting upon the ontological status of the indexical trace in drawing. While these publications converge with the general ethos of Crowther’s book, the latter’s approach pursues an overarching philosophy, or rather an overarching philosophical approach, that a scholar may adopt to further their understanding of specific works. The significance of this should not be underestimated. Overall, the book is a timely contribution which responds to growing interest within the field. It is perhaps no coincidence that the theme of this year drawing research conference is the phenomenology of drawing.
Drawing Phenomenology: An Exploration of the Phenomenological Potential of Repetitive Processes
https://core.ac.uk/reader/288375880
Through an investigation of repetitive processes of drawing and their subsequent effect on the drawer, the paper will consider the premise that repetitive processes of drawing are phenomenological. That is, repetitive processes of drawing have the potential to record both the movement of the drawer‟s mind and the drawing‟s own making.States of ConsciousnessWhilst creating a series of drawings through differing repetitive processes including: drawing linear graphite marks over a charcoal laden surface (figure 1); scoring linear marks into the surface with a knife (figure 2); or drawing with charcoal (figure 3)it was notable that whilst the processesmay differ, each induced a particular fluctuating state of consciousness. The repetitive action allowed for a certain detachment, the physical self completing the task and allowing the mind to be intermittently withdrawn from self-consciousness. In an attempt to articulate the effect repetitive processes of drawing -in this instance the repetitive perforating of a charcoal laden surface (figure 4) -had on consciousness the text rhythmicalwas written: rhythmical... drawing, body as machine, manoeuvring across the surface with methodical, rhythmical motion, mind disconnected from the activity, a robotic almost liminal state and yet grounded, all too aware of the now, the space is confined, a tension in the body as the only contact with the surface is through the tool, an extension of the hand, perforating the paper as it negotiates the surface, rasping and grating sounds reverberating around the room, the chalky air, an awareness of dust brought to you by COREView metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.ukprovided by Loughborough University Institutional Repository
2Drawing and Visualisation ResearchPublished in TRACEY| journal: ProcessJanuary2012http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/tracey/tracey@lboro.ac.ukparticles floating, visible in the shaft of daylight streaming in through the window, a distinct smell and residue flowing in and out with the breath, a discomfort in the hand as pressure is applied and released, a heightened awareness of self amidst the apparent removal of thought –a meditative contemplation of self, as soon as recognised all but gone and the tedium of the process is apparent again, calm and ease dissipated, irritation and unrest again discernible ...Figure 1 -graphite/charcoalFigure 3 –charcoalFigure 2 –scored charcoalFigure 4 –perforated charcoal
3Drawing and Visualisation ResearchPublished in TRACEY| journal: ProcessJanuary2012http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/tracey/tracey@lboro.ac.ukAs the passage of text suggests the state of consciousness fluctuates between awareness of being connected to the environment -a disconnection of the mind to the point of loss of awarenessand conversely a heightened awareness of self within the environment. The study of consciousness per se is not within the remit of this paper. However, for clarification, the paper adopts the position of Velmans‟ (1996) reflexive monism, which identifies that,The "contents of consciousness" encompass all that we are conscious of, aware of, or experience. These include not only experiences that we commonly associate with ourselves, such as thoughts, feelings, images, dreams, body experiences and so on, but also the experienced three-dimensional world (the phenomenal world) beyond the body surface.Whilst drawing through repetitive action thedrawer is intermittently acutely aware of: internal phenomena -somatic and psychic; external phenomena -the drawing and environment within which they are present. However, the definition of a third category of consciousness is also pertinent to a discussion of the state of consciousness induced during repetitive processes of drawing: -the fusion of awareness of both internaland external phenomena to a point of loss of self and the “... erasure of boundaries between inside and out ...” (MacLaglan 2001, p.43). It is therefore considered that repetitive processes of drawinginduce a state of consciousness thatfluctuates between identified aspects of consciousness: external -an acute awareness of the elements of the environment; internal -an acute awareness of self; and a fusion of the self (internal) with the environment (external) to a point of loss of self. FusionThe fusionof self with the environment is a distinctive element of the fluctuating state of consciousness experiencedduring drawing through repetitive action. The process generates not a loss of self-awareness as such,
4Drawing and Visualisation ResearchPublished in TRACEY| journal: ProcessJanuary2012http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ac/tracey/tracey@lboro.ac.ukbut a loss of the awareness of the self as something separate from the environment. The processgenerates a sense of being a part of the matter of the environment, rather thanas an entity experiencing it. In this state of consciousness it is not possible to determine where the self exists. The fusionmakes it difficult to discern whether the self incorporates the external elements as if they were internal or whether the selftranscends the internal to become fused with external elements. The state of consciousness moves beyond the limits of prior experiences to something quite unthought. As Dewey (1934, p.202) states, “We are, as it were, introduced into a world beyond this world which is nevertheless the deeper reality of the world in which we live our ordinary experiences. We are carried beyond ourselves to find ourselves.” Repetitive processes of drawinggenerate this feeling of transportation and moving towards another form of knowing that is strangely familiar but not grounded in any part of recalled experience.A possible explanation of this aspect of the familiarity of something that cannot be recalled is discussed by Bollas (1987), and identified as an unthought known.An unthought known relates to experiences we had as an infant prior to having the capacity for thought or linguistic expression, consequently we have no conscious recall of the experiences. However, as infants, we experienced “... perceptual pre-conceptualexperience[s] ...” (Merleau-Ponty in Moran 2002, p.402). As a consequence, the experiences are part of our psyche and known to us even though we are unable to consciously recall them1(Bollas 1987). Bollas (1987) relates the experience of fusionwith externalentities –for example, an aesthetic response to an artwork –to our pre-thought experiences of our mother; a time when our mother controlled our 1Bollas (1987) discusses the ego as developing from both that which our mother passes on to us -her particular mode of being -and, alongside these „inherited‟ norms our own ego. Bollas (1987, p.9) states, “The ego is the constitute factor in the unthought known. We are in possession of complex rules for being and relating, processes that reflect the dialectic of the inherited and the acquired. In the primary repressed unconscious we know these rules, but as yet only some of them have been thought. A very significant portion of our existence is predetermined by this unthought known into thought...”
Key Elements of Drawing:
1. Line: The most fundamental element of drawing, lines can vary in thickness, texture, and direction, and are used to define shapes, contours, and outlines.
2. Shape and Form: Shapes are two-dimensional areas enclosed by lines, while forms are three-dimensional, giving the illusion of depth in a drawing.
3. Tone and Value: These refer to the lightness or darkness of areas within a drawing, used to create contrast, depth, and a sense of volume.
4. Texture: Texture in drawing refers to the surface quality or feel of an object, whether it is rough, smooth, soft, or hard. Artists can create the illusion of texture through various techniques.
5. Space: This involves the arrangement of objects within the drawing and the use of perspective to create the illusion of depth and distance.
Types of Drawings:
1. Sketches: Quick, often rough drawings that capture the essential features of a subject or idea. Sketches are often used as preliminary studies for more detailed works.
2. Technical Drawings: Precise and detailed drawings used in fields such as architecture, engineering, and design to communicate specifications, measurements, and construction details.
3. Illustrations: Drawings that accompany text, often found in books, magazines, and advertisements, serving to enhance or explain the content.
4. Life Drawing: Drawings that depict the human figure, often done from a live model. These can be studies of anatomy, movement, or expression.
5. Abstract Drawing: Drawings that do not represent recognizable subjects but instead focus on shapes, lines, and forms to convey ideas or emotions.
6. Contemporary Drawing: This can encompass a wide range of techniques and media, often pushing the boundaries of what is traditionally considered drawing, sometimes incorporating digital media, collage, or performance elements.
Functions of Drawing:
- Artistic Expression: Drawing is a fundamental mode of artistic expression, allowing artists to explore and communicate their ideas visually.
- Communication: Drawings are used to convey information, ideas, or emotions in ways that words alone cannot.
- Exploration and Experimentation: Many artists and designers use drawing as a tool for exploring ideas, experimenting with form and composition, or planning larger works.
- Documentation and Observation: Drawing can serve to document observations from the natural world, capture moments in time, or record detailed visual information.
Conclusion:
Drawing is a versatile and foundational practice in both art and design. It serves not only as a means of artistic expression but also as a powerful tool for communication, exploration, and documentation across a wide range of disciplines. Whether simple or complex, a drawing can capture the imagination, convey intricate ideas, and provide insight into both the external world and the inner workings of the mind.
Academic research on contemporary drawing, particularly as of 2024, is an evolving field that spans various disciplines, including art history, visual arts, and cultural studies. Here are some key themes and trends in contemporary drawing that have been explored in recent academic literature:
1. Expanded Definitions of Drawing
- Hybrid Practices: Researchers have explored how contemporary drawing has expanded beyond traditional techniques, incorporating mixed media, digital technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches. This includes the integration of performance, installation, and conceptual art.
- Drawing as Process: There's an increasing focus on drawing as a process rather than a finished product. This process-oriented approach emphasizes the act of drawing as a form of thinking or investigation, rather than just a means to create an image.
2. Drawing and Technology
- Digital Drawing: The rise of digital tools has transformed drawing practices. Studies examine how digital media, such as tablets and software, are used by contemporary artists, and how these tools impact the aesthetics, techniques, and conceptual frameworks of drawing.
- AI and Algorithmic Drawing: The intersection of artificial intelligence and drawing is an emerging area of interest. Research might explore how AI-generated drawings challenge traditional notions of authorship, creativity, and the role of the artist.
3. Social and Political Dimensions
- Drawing and Activism: Contemporary drawing is often examined for its role in social and political activism. Research in this area looks at how artists use drawing to comment on or engage with issues such as climate change, human rights, and social justice.
- Global Perspectives: There is a growing body of research on contemporary drawing practices outside of the Western canon, highlighting the work of artists from diverse cultural backgrounds and examining how global perspectives influence drawing as an art form.
4. Materiality and Sensory Experience
- Material Studies: Some scholars focus on the material aspects of contemporary drawing, investigating how the choice of materials (e.g., paper, charcoal, digital tools) impacts the meaning and reception of the work.
- Sensory and Phenomenological Approaches: Researchers are increasingly interested in the sensory experiences associated with drawing, such as the tactile qualities of the medium, the role of the body in the act of drawing, and the interaction between the viewer and the drawn image.
5. Interdisciplinary Connections
- Drawing and Architecture: Studies often explore the relationship between drawing and architecture, particularly how drawing serves as a tool for spatial thinking and design.
- Drawing and Literature: There is also research that looks at the interplay between drawing and text, exploring how contemporary artists use drawing to narrate stories, create visual poetry, or complement literary works.
6. Contemporary Drawing in Education
- Pedagogical Approaches: The role of drawing in contemporary art education is another important area of study. Researchers examine how drawing is taught in art schools today, focusing on how curricula have adapted to include contemporary practices and new media.
Academic Sources
- Journal Articles: Look into journals like *Drawing: Research, Theory, Practice*, *Journal of Visual Art Practice*, and *Art Journal* for recent articles on contemporary drawing.
- Books: Publications like "Contemporary Drawing: Key Concepts and Techniques" by Margaret Davidson or "Drawing Now: Between the Lines of Contemporary Art" edited by Simon Downs, might offer comprehensive overviews.
- Conference Proceedings: Conferences such as the International Drawing Research Network (iDRN) often publish proceedings that include cutting-edge research on contemporary drawing.
Conclusion
The academic discourse on contemporary drawing in 2024 is characterized by a broadening of definitions and practices, with significant attention given to technological advancements, social engagement, and interdisciplinary connections. The research is diverse, reflecting the evolving nature of drawing in the contemporary art landscape.