An exploration of the language of drawing

A brief history of drawing

The eye that thinksThe first chapter of drawing projects highlights the importance of drawing at a young age and the purity of such forms of drawing. Commenting on the fact the activity usually precedes that of writing in the development of small children. It states that children have no language to describe this motor scribble mark making activity and that the pleasure for them comes from the resultant mark and in this stage it does not really matter what it is called. At this stage children have no real outside influence pushing their drawing in particular directions and therefore produce real extensions of themselves and movements. But this disappears around five, artists have always strived to find that child like innocence within art and drawing. This can be seen in Picasso really clearly during his transformation into cubism.

Language has first spoilt his/her drawing and then swallowed it up completely – Karl Buhler

First I think and then I draw my think-anon child

My line is childlike but not childish. It is very difficult to fake: to get that quality, you need to project yourself into the child’s line. It has to be felt. – Cy Twombly

The hemispheres of the brain• The main theme to emerge… is that there appear to be two modes of thinking,

verbal and non-verbal, represented rather separately in left and right hemispheres, respectively, and that our education system, as well as science in general, tends to neglect the non-verbal form of intellect. What it comes down to is that modern society discriminates against the right hemisphere – Roger W Sperry

• It is often said that Leonardo drew so well because he knew about things; it is truer to say that he knew about things because he drew so well – Kenneth Clarke

Learning to draw• One must always draw. Draw with the eyes when one cannot use a pencil – Balthus• When you can draw you are always an artist

Julie Mehretu • I chose to reference Julie Mehretu due to the way she uses different mark making

techniques. Her work captures a structural, often city like atmosphere through an array of developed mark making. Building her drawings up in layers starting with architectural drawings helps her to capture the nature of a building or place and visually communicate an existing dynamic landscape I want to capture a similar idea within my work. Potentially focusing on the structural elements of the cardboard city then expressing some sort of atmosphere through layered and considered mark making. This could be used in an illustrative or fine art context, as once an atmosphere is developed, so is a sense of story and character.

Janette Barnes • I wanted to reference Janette Barnes because of the expressive way she describes

the city landscape as well as the developed and skilled mark making she uses. From looking at this artist, development in aspects of mark making feels like a good place to take this project. Hopefully this will help my express and evoke the response I want to get from the cardboard city. Her work also made me feel that exploration of a ‘real’ city landscape, rather than that of the cardboard city would be a good aspect to develop on, it would allow me to capture details and atmosphere I otherwise would not have been able to do.