Synopses & Reviews
Drawing is at the very forefront of contemporary art practice. The radical shift in the treatment and development of drawing since the 1960s has resulted in a renewed status and relevance for it, with some of the most exciting artistic ideas of the last 50 years indebted to its use. This new study looks at three subjects: abstraction and drawing, how drawing came into its own when notions of art and the employment of media were radically challenged; drawing as narrative, borrowing and developing ideas on illustration, cartoon art, and the use of drawing with the moving image; and drawing as engagement, offering a visual description of our environment. Including work by artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, and Richard Serra, the book demonstrates that drawing is a popular, diverse, and ever-evolving medium.
Synopsis
This beautiful book reveals works from the Victoria and Albert Museums rich collection of drawings ranging from the early 17th century right up to the present day. Reproducing, often for the first time, works by foremost British artists, this book offers fresh insights into the wide range of ways in which these artists have used drawing to think on paper, build up ideas, and make finished exhibition pieces. Including examples from the greatest masters—William Blake, Thomas Rowlandson, John Constable, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Paul Nash, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, John Piper, Grayson Perry, and others—author Susan Owens discusses the art and craft of drawing, materials, and techniques, and why artists chose them.
About the Author
Susan Owens is curator of Paintings and Drawings at the V&A. She has published and lectured widely on 19th- and 20th-century British art.