rufltirf.

-:fffftiffitit:l

TWO-DIMENSIONAL MEDIA

#'l
4

b:
.

Pencil, colored pencii, and ink on paper, 9:l x 15X". Eucene md Clara Tts\v Collecoon, F.nimorc An Museum, Ne{ lbrk $are Historical Association, Cooperstolvn.

6.1 Black Haivk. Spinr vi"on.

1880.

CHAPTER SIX

DnnwrNc
r,errbodv draws. There can scarcely be a person abovc thc agc ol nr,o rvho has ner'er made a drawing. Mary people take photographs, somc paint, a fcn make sculpture, and a very fe\\, mal even clesjsn a building. Bnt jrbod_v dra$s. You see a patch of$,et sand at the beach, a dusty lablelop, a blank notepad \\hile \ou are sitting in class or at a business nleeling and
rLf

natrral impulse is to drar,something.

Children begin to dran long before thel begin to write, sonetimes bc'fore s can talk intelligibll ln drawing far nore than in speech, chilclren r.cveal - ir fantasics and their fears. \,Vhatever the content, nearly all child|en draw, rich sho\vs ho\\r truly universal is this method oi e:rpressior. Tu,o qualities often associated \\'iih dm\\'ins are Luri]iaril] and inlilnac}l :r$ ing is familiar in that it often uses naterials we all arc accustomed lo ). cil, a pcn, a stick of chalk. There are no mvstedous or erotic iDgrcdients. ,r ,.L awing illustratcd on thc facing page rvas done \\'ith pencil and colored :rcil on thc lincd papcr of an account book (5.1), yet these ordinary maleli . captlLre an extmordina!- e1nt. Dra$,n br .r Lakota Irdian named Black ,.,rk, the image records a vision he had in uhich he $as l*Lnslbnned inlo a 'Lr.dcf Bcing. Black Ha\\,k $,as an i1esfta, "one u,ho moves bet\\'een two r lds" a shaman, in olhcf $,ords. His dm('incs fonn a priceless recorcl of . I-ako|a Norldvicu'. For ihc Lakota, the dramatic storms th.rt sweep across . cfcal Plains $'cfc the manifestations of Thurder Benrgs and their- llres 'rscr horses. ln Black Ha\rkk vision, the horuei hoor.es and the Being! lcls arc transformed into eagle clarm, rvhile buffalo homs sprnrg liorr oLher :r. ol thcir bodics. Jaegcd lines of energl pass betweeD the lider' ;rnd his r.., a spiritual conncction that renden rehs unnecessa4'. The horse's blan js pattcmcd in hailstones. Lightning $'as said to splirg liom the Thundet ingls clcs, sho\\'n here \\,ide open. In his vision, Black Ha*'k sau himsell as destluctive po\ver of a storm ihundedng across the plain. He -L{ in 1890. at rhc Battle of \{ounded Kree. Dfawing seems intimate because it is liequently lhe artist's pli!'ale nole .ing. Manv drar,ings are not inteDcted ior exhibilion and thcrclorc arc no! ,rn publicly during the atistt lifetime. They mar- be preliminal] skelches *mc other u'ork of art or iust the atists refired doocllins. we think o1 -1, dfa$ings as dircd expression-llom brain to hand and they can oller -rinating glimpses into the creative process. Picasso, mindlul of his o$n .r$, began early on to date and save all of his skelches. Thlrnks to this habi! ha\'e almost a complere visual recorcl of his mind at u'()k. Illustralcd hcrc
14
r-

6.2 (left) Pablo fjcasso. FiNt conposition srud\ tot Guernicd. Ma! 1, 1937. Pencil on blue paper 8ll r 101 .
Museo Nrci.rral Ccrrrc de A.te Reina

6.3 (risht) tdgar Desas. Da,.e' Aliustng Het Slippct 1873.

craphire and charcoal heighlcned \\,irh whi!e chalk on no\'laded
piDk paper, 121 x 9r( . The Nelrcpolirar Museu ot Aft,

is his fi$t skerch for his grcat antifascist mural Gue icL (6.2; for ihe com' pleled mural see 3.11). Much chansed bct(,een this 6rs1 rapidly sketched idca and the final paiDting, but one essenlial eesture is already in place: the horror $'ill be rerealed to us by the licht ol a lamp held by a figure leaning oul of an upper srory \\\no'rw Othei factors may contribute 1() dra$'ingt sense ol intimac) Most drawings are relatively small (compared u'ilh paintines), and many are execltcd quickly. Drau,ings are oflen made in greal quantitiesi some afiists do huDdreds o1 drauings for every "linished" u'ork. Thcre are exceplions to this generaliza' tion, dBu'ings thar are large and/or arc cxecuted wilh painstaking atlention ro detail, including several examples ii lhis chapier' Bul paft of the charm of dnuing as a mediunr must surely be the fact ihat, evcn u'hen a uolk is interded for exhibition, it still rctains an aif of intimacy In dfa$'ings such as rencer Adjustine Her Sltppgr (6.3), u'e have Lhe impression ofbeing presenl at an intimale transactior belwecn aftist and modcl. \{e can easily irnagine Degas adiusting l}rc position of the arm, modibing lhc cortour of the foot, his c),es shifting back and folth behvcen his evoh'ine dra\\'ing and the model slanding a ferv fcct arva]: sketches like this sen'ed Dcgas as a sofi of inventory of poses and people-ra*' natcrials fiom uhich larg-.r compositions could be construclcd. The drawing is "squarcd for lrans' fer," that is, Degas dr.e\v a gdd ovel it lo make it easier lo cop)' accuntel): He used this pose in t$'o linishcd works, bolh of dancers in rehcarsal.

1.+8 DRA\\INti

FoI Claes Oldenbu|g, dra$'ins provides a way to p]a,"- \!ith idcas for the ,onumental sculptures hc cleares \\'ilh Coosje \'an Brugsen (sec 5 20) A re:.1 fascination s'ith thc possibilities inbercni in a piece ol pic begar at a .ir rhday dinner for Van Bruggen, \'\,hich ended at her reques! \!i1h a piece of '1uet)cn,"- pie n la mode. We can imagine lhem celcbrating the hrppv occasion, !)kiog contentedl-".' at their dcsselt, ancl suddenl) thinking, Whal if Oldenbulg lillecl pagc afterpage \!ilh idcas for the sclrlplure ln the dra\r:3 hcl.e, his lelaxed, confident liDe lests our the eftect ol a elcat lump ot -,,Lilla ice crearn poised ar the crest ol a hill \\'hile a colossal piece ofbluebel) ,r slidcs dorvnrvard !1)uard us, iis contents looking none loo securc (5.'r). rnce thc design is finaliTed, thc sculprr"rle $il1 takc months to construcr' But .L a\\,ing like this is lhe $,ork of a rnoirent, allo$ing Oldenbury lo kccp pace rh his racing imaginalion. Antthing can happcn, and quicklr, in a dra\\'inC, f.occss that Oldenburg dcfrncs lather clelightlullt as "the accidental abilir,v .oordinare volrr faDtas) uith vour hand "' Ariists ma-".' dl.au lif no othel reason than ro riDdersland thc $'orld ,Lrnd rhem, to iDvesligalc its forms. There is no better e\ercise in seeing -,r to take a small par'! of the natural u'orld and tn to dra$ il in all its de. (6.5). Leonardo had lhe cudositl and the poucrs of obseraation of a nat-rl scicntist. Some of his skelchcs ser-ved as studies that mjght Iin.l their $'al ,i largcr compositions, but hc also lilled norebook after rolebook \Lirh .esligatilc dra\uings lor their or\,n sake. The dmu'ing here rellecls his inrer. lr) parallels bet$een lhe bchavior of cunols of \\'ater and the motions oi ,!ing grasses.

coosje \,an Bnrssen. alr.r.h P;e a la Mtd., SLnLrls da\r, a Hill. 1996. CIa..oal and pasreLon plpcr, 39l )< 301 \\bnne\ Mus.nm 0tAneLic!! Afi,

6.4 (leh) claes Olclenbur-q and

6.5

( sl, Lconafdo da Vnrci. stat of Belhl.hen and oiher

Plunls c. 1506 08. Red chalk arcl

Th! Rolal Collc.tiorl, Wird\o crstlc,

q,'.i

t,;'

t+9

The dlaubgs wc have bccn lookine at arc'all on papcr' a rnatc al \!e as .',ciate closclv $ith dm\\'nre. Historicall)" ho$c'vcr' man! olher slrrfaces-havc ,ren uscd to iral on. The oldest arl$ofks that \\'e kno$ of ale !lre' cave ch arv res in lorthe Ffance and in Spain (sce 1.3) $hjle Lhcsc inragcs are olten rii'Ired to as pa tines, m:rr) har.e a sLr ong liDear qualir\ lhar \\'r)uld more 'rc Lrfateh c.llcsorize thcn as c| a$jn-ss The arlists $'orked direclll on the care usirrg mars oi hail or chalred s!icks to dra$'the contour! ol thc a11s,

;r:,ssiblr a|imals thc\ D.Itm\rci. \{j!h the delc'l;pnent of potrer,'- cLllrins thc \e(tiLlic era, lircd cla} bc .rrne a rultace 1or dr:arvtug in rran,\ cldrLrles Thc durabilit! tl1 liled clal has 'r.ant that mall] examples harc sunlvc'd $'hen rvorks in molc pelishable na . !ials halc nor. Fr-rr cxanplc, \\'e knori' of ancicnt Greek painlirrg onlr llom .far'\'souf.es, lor not a sirrglc exanrplc has comc .lo$n to us Thanks lo Lhc ,rc'ek clrsLom ot draNing on potierl h(^\!er, \\c llave solllc undelslandinC ol hat thesc pahrings rnishr hire lookcd like (se. 14 21) Thc Greeks also clret ,rd Nl.c,tc on papr'Lts, a papcrlike matctial dercloped in ancienl L'g\pl lh:ri ,.s made fron presscd plant stems. Ri\'aling pap\'ms \!as a lalef iNention, .trchnent. Nl|rde lrcm treatcd animal sknt, il \\'as Nidch used thtoughoul rr RoDan Enpifc .1nd continued as the surl.lcc of choicc in nredic\'al Eu ,pc. The ancieirl Cl,incse dr.\! on silk, rhen spccial rnaLrial rlnd manv Chi -\c aliills still.lo. I! is rhe Chincse, tr)o, \\'ho arc'clediled \\'ith lhe inl'ention DaDer Traditional Chinese histol.ies cfcdit lhe discover v to Cai Li, a eunlrch ..,iing nr the imprfial corrr'l durnrg thc tusr ccntlln ol our ela Rccent ar

frn\

i"ri..'t .'i,..".. Io\'!. \', \rrL!(\r' h.'rp'pcr( ''-JI L J\\tr ri 'r'\ ", .,' 1...r .\\o h,",",n r<r.l'r (rir ine fr"n- hi 1r' p. t<' $J' ir ' ' r.c'd inio Islamic cullltfe dLr ngihe81hccntuni Scvemlcentu eslaicritbe .Lri to mrke its \\'a) irrlo Europc, spleading lirs! through Islamic Spain then . liltelins nor-th$afci. ^!,lv r,,ao., aiii"t" haic a $'idc'ara] of dra\Yi g sLrrfaces and matct.ials 10 r1)ose fru r. Sone nraterials ha|e their c,rigin! in the disLant past, while olh on space agc rechnologr Tn this chaprcr \\'e e\amine sonrc oI tlte ' ctcpend nrateiials that hale bccn r.rsed for chnri'ing ancL thc eflecLs thev can rclirional rxluce. Thcn $e look brieit! al son]e lccent dilcctiorN in ihis oldest of arls

MATERIATS FOR DRAWING

clra\\,irlg media al.e bascd on pigment po\\cle|cd coloring.nateriali\ed !!i1lia subsLance th31 cnables it to rdherc to the dfawiDg slulace DriNr naterials genefalh ar.e cli!'ided inro t\\'o caLceolies dr-\'rnedia and licluid . r. llre drIrc, i.' r.,,( ' \- rL, r.rr. l11,\ -rtrr.'L r\ u!\ - oipc iil '. 'rlPr .rrrl!((. Ccp".i inp ,,'rr .l"' "l-. ct'' thcr '' n' r' '' rlJrl '\rrl . slrrllrcc. Liqu;d meclia, in cotlll-.tsl, hale pafticles ol figmenl suspende'L in Lrd, so tho llciu onto lhe suface mlLch nrorc freel\"
L

JRY MEDIA
PenCil nr. e.opr'ite p.'ncil,
sornciimes callcd a "lead" pencil' probLrbll has .rde more cha"'in.es thrin anl oLlrcl rneclium Pencils are cheap, reaclill alaif r e, and easv Lo \vork $idr. Misrakes carr bc er:lled- lf the dfawiDg L ms or'rl .L!11!. it c:Lr bc thro\ln a\'al at no grea! expcnse Dcspite lhc pencil'.s humble status, lro$cler, some ol thc'mosl elcganl .mnrgs\\e knowhare bccn done |\ithgraplite pencjl A nlastcr 01 thistcchrLre rias Jean Auguste Dominiquc Ingres ln 1819 lngles rrscd the sharp int ol a pencil to crealc a porlr'ait of his iricnd lhe brillianL ltaliar violinist ..oio Paganirri. Prganini \!as d dlnamic cha,acLer famed cqualll lot his

t5l

6.6 Jean Aususre-Dominique viftuositl on the violin and his vivid personalitv. The arlist captures both of Ingres. Podratr o/Ni.olo Paga nlt. these qudlities (6,6). lngrcs poses his subject sianding proudly erect, the vio1819. Graphitc pencil, lll x 8x. lin and bo$ poised vvith thc absolure assurance of a masrer musician. PaMus6e du Lou're' Pafis ganini looks us viewers slraight in rhe eye, showing us his intelligence and zest for life-plus more thaD a trace ol arrogance. The lines of the coat suggest a barely restraired eDergy in the body underneath. We haif expect Paganini to break into a smile, firust his violin under his chin, and plal f"r us.

technique th.rl $'as e\pecislll populaL durlng the Renaissance. Fe\v atists use it no$l because it is not veD forgiving of mistakes or indecision. Once put down, the lines cannot easily be changed or crased. The dra\\,ins medium is a thin wire of metal, often of pure silver (in which case the medium is called silverpoint), mounted in some hnd of holding device, such as a wooden shaft or a modem mechanic;rl pencil. The drau,ing surface must be specially coated \\,ilh posler pairt or a similar grcund historically the coating $,as bone dust and glue. Sil tr tamishes quickl):, and while thc drawing can be protected to prevent this from happening, the gray tonalilies of tarnish are generally desired.

Metalpoint

Metelpoinr. the 3n(cstor of the smphite pencil, is an old

152'DRA\!T\.i

Meralpoinl dra$ings are chalacterized by a fine, delicale line of uDitbrm idih. Making thriftv use ol a single sheel ol paper Filippino Lippi die!\'l!!o rllrc studies in mctalpoint on a pale pnrk ground, buiJcling up the areas ol . rrdo\\, $,ith Iine hatching and cross-hatching, then delicatel! paintiry in .ghlights in Nhire (6.7). The nrodcls \\,ere probably rvolkshop apprentices. lrnaissance apprentices olien posed fol. each othcr and lbf the master and rus found theiru'a! into innumerable p:rinlings. The figurc on the left tore\ :llpie, rn.rl *,ell have been incorpor:rted inlo a painting lrs Saint Sebaslian, lro $,as typlcally dcpicted $ilh his anns boutld and wearing only a loincloth

6.7 Filippino Lippi. I;grr?

Stu/li?\: Sta ding Nude altd S.d/.d Ma, R.adnrg. c. 1,180. Melalponn, heiglitctlccl \!ith wl)ile gouache, on pale pinh
'l h

ChafCOal

charcoals ellects are almost rhe euct opposite of ihose ol: .r.d bv nelalpoint. Where netalpoint produces a thin, delicate line, char trLs line is dark, sometimes lerv soft, occasionallv haNh Charcoal is aclu .i burned sticks of ('ood rhc best-qualitr- charcoal coning fi-om special :rc Nood heatcd in a kiln until ol1ll carbon remains charcoa] lines can

p,epafed papc,i 9 Li. ). 8,1 . ['i.rfopolnan I'lus.trm otA.t,

..'

:'

rjo R

RA\{1\

c
:,

153

,llltffiffiffiti

-ffif

be thin or'lhick,

f:rht or dark. Elizabeth Murra\ s S/rdl.e illustfates \!ell rh. disrinctivc qualities of charcoal (6.8). The dra$'ing lecords thc process ol ir. own cfc.rlion, lronl the first tentali!c linc! a! the charcoal was dfaggecl lighrl.. across the paper to the dark, org.rnic Jorm that finalh emcrgcd. The \.eher\ blackr cleated bt lavef upon lir\er oI strokes are chanctcfisLic ol charcoal.

be veen chalks a|cL ctLyons is the binder-thc substarce th:,1 holds pal.ticles of pigment togcthcr Clulks har.e nolfat bindcrs, uherea.
main diflerence

Chalk and Crayon r*i.r. ',,n!<,,r .h.,rk,',d.,J\, ,o,h,. 'i..-r Jnerrl .lloirl..n,,tt,,,uu cflecr\. L,c.ic.r [.p..

k r.-r

r,

6.8 Elizabcth Munay .srdla. 1979. Chafcoal oD plpea,:l6X ). 38. 'lhe \!hilne! Museun ol Arerican

clavons havc a laltr.ot. greasv bincfcr; so there is considemble variation in rh, rvav thcsc materials react to conlacr \\'ith paper If vou imaginc blackboar.l chalk ancl ordinary childrenls cr:a1ons, thls dlffer.ence in effccr shoulcl be clear Chalks, being drier and more o'umbly, generally blcnd tell and can br or,erlaid (Ls! or more colors on top oi one another) to producc shaded elllcrr Thel rcspond best to a paper u,ith sonrc tooLlr, arc relativeh fragilc unlcss co\ ered b! a lixaLire, and offer a limircd fansc {n colors. The 8leasicf cfa\ons a.l herc $'ct1 ro paper and are mofc pcfnrancnt, bu! they are diffrcuh 1(, blcnd $itll one anoiher lor subile tones and gradaLionr,. (Ho\\,ever thc ncrc.r.,ril lrarecl cravons can be liryer-blended almost as easily as oil panrts blcnd.) Cravor. usualll offer a $dder choice of colors than do chalks, and drcl corrc in r,an ing dcg.ccs ,,1 hardness to pcrmit shal? liDes or tonal areas.

Cnlon can nean anvthing fron the rvax crayons Lrscd br, children though the lithographic cravon mcanr ior clrarving on stonc in pr.intnlakiDs (Chaptcr 8). Bu! the commoncst dfawing m.tte al is cont6 cfavon a llne texturcd slick nredium available in shadcs of red, brom, and black.

.,tl.a pni"tiltirn1, in \\,hiclr tin! dots of color:1fc nasscd togelhcf to build 'rr. Seulat also clicL marly dra\\'ing! Bv rorkirrg in c ! on l.o gll rcrittred The cler.land N! ..trnr tj A r. .,oct. he could aDDroriimale thc effecL oflrolol dois in paint C'r! to"lri is ,'r ,rf sercral clr:r" ings Seur:rt made of an enter'lainmenl lhat \\'as ell lhe Iage 6.10 (figlitl Lds Desas lr. Snito t, C,?.,/. .. 1E3+. Paslelon his dar'(6.9). Thc caf6s and their pcrfomers \\'ere condcscende'd Io bl se lieht bluc l. prp.,r 23;,1 I 1811 people ilocked to Lrs (and snobbish) culrural conlnlentators, bLLt ordin!rr\ The N'lerr)ll)liL.i \lnsrtrur of At . nr. Artists \!enr as well, attracted b) the ellecrs of the lighting, the color'f.r1 -r\uralitics of lhe pcrftfmers, arcl thc fascjrating socjel nrix ol lhc cro\\'d \ simplif\ing his lorms and dorvnplafing anl sense oI otiorl, Seurar tends Sring our the eeric side of almosl anv sitristion Here, thc dislart, bdghth lemilc perforner is talchcd rathef spookilr- bl an inrpassive sudicnce o1 \fler hattcd meo. Anolhcr artist artlacted to the cafi-concefts \\a! Edgar Degas \\tli]e --Lrr:Lt's dlar{ing \\'as mxde from llre back ol thc hall' Dcgas'Tl.? Si.ngcr.itL .rrr (6.10) purs us righl on slage nc\t lo lhc pcrlormcrl Nho touches hcr- r.uldcr in ,i e".t"r. il rL Desas borro\\'ed lrorn one of his la\odie cal' . ,qe.s. Dceas .rearcd his dra\\ing in pastel, the nlosr \Lell'kn(^!n chalk ..rllun. ,ti,:rllable in a tull mnse ol colols and scveral dcgrees r-rl hardness r:s lor special effccts or dctails. Thanks 1(r Lhcir fine lc'\tlLre pastcls mr be .,silr blc'rictecl br blunins onc color into anorlrcrl oblilemtine the indiridual . okes and cre.rLing smoalhlv gra&rxtcd tones Here Degas h.\s blcnded the :rcs llrar moclel Lhc girl s licc and rrppcr tolso as she is lil fionl belo\\ br the ilights. Her clress ii tr.eatcd more lrcel\r \!ith rhe indi\ idual strokcs still tlp .,'e.ii. rhe Uact grouna i! suggestecl Lhlor.rsh blcndecl ealth tones nnct roughlr :rdied blLre greens rhat slro\\' the texiure ol Lhc paperl

Onc aftisl uho comes feadih to mind irr disclrssing cont6 cfavorl dra\\ !s i! Ccorses SeLrrat. In Chapteil \'. lookecl ai Seurat's painring tcchnique,

6.9 (lch) Georc.s Se,rmI. Ci// cotr..rr. c. 18E7. ((' i.F\,)n heieht.ncd Nith \!hi(e.hrLk ()n

id

.L'ret is often cr:rnsidcrecl a borderlinc mednrm, sonewhcrc bet\lecn paintirrg cLfa\\,ing. Altisi-q fa!'of soft pastcLs for rnosr Norl<, rcsenirrg the hal.clct

I5:

LIQUID MEDIA
paper sives a smoortr, unintenlpred tine. relatilelv permane[t media, there is little possibi]ity for coreclion once the lines hale been insclibed. A maior variable in the ink dmwins. houercr is rhe rel"ri\( llriLkn(.. o rhinnr.' ot lrnc.. r.h'cl' depe J. on rh. pen point used. The lincs can be all one width, ranging from fine to hea\.!, or lhey can l'ar,a: A singlc line mal clunge, perhaps stafiing as a fine thread. broadening into thickness, and then tapering do\\'n again. Such thick-and-thin lines ale referred to as calli7raphic or gestunlPen and ink rvas the far'odte sketching medium of one oI the greatest draltsnen nho ever livcd, Rembrandt. Rembmndt made thousands o[ dra\ ings oler the coursc of his career. Many lecord ideas for paintings or p nrs. but nany more arc simpl! drarvings done for the plcasrrre ol dra\litlg. Anong his lavo te subjects was lhe lnndscape arcund Amstcdam (6.1f). The exam, ple here sho*,s the "band$,riling" ot his rapid, sketchv stvle at ils most char acleristic. The trees that shade and sheher the farmhouse are draun in lileh curlirg pen \\,ork that suggests the urind rustling their lcai,es. The ruwer and the bushes in the foregrouncl are sketched in at great spccd $,ilh a bolde! freer line, \\'hile the vista thal opens r.rp to the left is porlrayed $'i!h a line, more conAs rvith other

Pen and Ink r,'t tl,,*'ing o'lu

(belost, lop) RembraDdl. A a Boat an the a,lldr!,rt. c. 1650. Pen and bro\u

Mdi Rarinl

6.ll

Nash and Nhite bod\'.olor,

5xE.

Devonshire Colieciions, Chatsrvoth

6.12 (belosl Yosa Buson. ?re

Ndn-o\r Raad ta the Deet No.th (detail). 1778. Hands.roll, jnk and color on paper; height I l'1 .
Kvoro N!rional Nluscum.

::

1frs,1'lt

t-

!,&[ltitf
&L"ti,;t
156'DRA$'rNG

#w&!i41. ( lTii^;i:5 ''it;;1ft

,olled tine. Rembra;dt used a wash, ink dilutcd $'ith $ater and applied with ro gite gre-rer'olidirr t' hc rarml'ou'e n<'rled amid rhe re* rnd n L,n "h .rggest the rellective suriace of lhe water

6.13 Kathe Kolk!]tz. srn;d.

papelt 167.

x 151 . Hambugcr KL,nsihaLl.

I'i.rir,.

1928. Brush and ink on

ErUsh and

:ie bmih is manipulated in the Asian $ay it is the ideal tool (better lhan

has long been the favorire drawing tool of rr''" brush is commonl]' used for $riting, its East the Because in the \sian altists. randlins seems as natural there as using a pencil does to Westemers When
a

Ink

t*.t'

:.en) for producing the calligraphic line thin at lhe beginning, broadening .,lor:g ir. lergrh. and rhen raperine Jgain ro \en lhir' The dera'l here lrom hou eFfortle"'r \o.- Bu\on' \r*ow Road'o the Dcpp "ho$' ul Jap"mo'l iirmou' ul ll_c Elr'r At:a ^o\h,6.l2r One ..rir'ne 9i\qs $a\ lo crJ\\ing in puinlinp hd\e ri <n.up in lacl rnc\ pcinrer an.l d .," po.'", S.''"n "ur "l.o money to suppofl his poelry The detail here is lrom n ordcr to make enough he copied orLt one of the most beloved u'orks ol Japain rvhich scroll .r long nese l-iterature, a poetic travel diary written by the poet Basho \Ve can imagine Buson $'riting out the opening of the book, in uhich Basho describes tak-,e leare ol rhrec'lotal riena" rnen pdu'in? onh ro refre'h h'' buh r rhe .niuell, he.lelrh '[.r.n". in Lhe lriends hcm'el\i' One \Lcnd"rl(nl ]n]ther lcans on a stick, white the third raises his hand in a gesture of fareu'ell rlut carries into the eloquent blank space that follows Handled someuhat differenthi the nedium of brush and ink can producc extremely bold effects Kathc Kollu'itz relied largelv on lhick, aggressive yic,tr, (6 t3) Koll$'itz' lines of pure biack for the pou'erlul image of a Srlictde l,-$insshoss Dlainl\ rhe rnr<rar lion o<r$ecn drru ing mediLrm anJ in-dgen tn rhi" ]a'. r.. mrehr rusnecr rhJr lhe arli'l had :'n imdPe in mrrd and 'e e' red rhe medium that would b;st fil lhat image. Other times the reverce na! occur an artist experiments with a particl ar mediun and thus is inspired wilh an

FoR DR^\r1\C

157

RECENT DIRECTIONS
re presligc of painlirg within the \{estern tmditi.rn has oltcn fclegared 'rtr\ings ro a sofi l)1 lecond class stalus as finished arl\\orks \tt thedifteri.e be[vecn dla\ling and painting is nol al\\,r!s clear, as \!e ha\'c scerl in the t' l(s of ihc ca|e :Lflis!s, brush-ard-jnk dfa\\'ings, and paslcls Over rhe pasl r decadcs, artj!ts ha\c increasinglv quc'stioned such lr'!r.li1ional di|isions r.l l,iefarchies. \4anv havc' cxploled rhe bofclcr bei\leen d.awins an.l paintr!, an.L othcrs have prrr[Lccd dra\\ings as pfiman ar-tislic llalcmcnrs Per. ps dla!\'ing quick, liglr!\\'cight, i plo\:isator'|t aclaptable is more suired orrr era of tcchnologr, r'irlual realir\r :Lncl fapid change. Cer 1:rin l! $'ithin the i.,sl it is lcss burdenecl \\ ilh thc \reighl of tradition an.l the !talLrs ol "pfe.ious riect," rnd man! artisLs lin.l tlis liber:Iting. F.x \\'hate|er reason, cLm\\'ing .1. c(nne 1(l intLrrest an incfeasing number ol atisrs. Tlis seclion conclr.les rh r!!o rcccnt trend! in dm\\'ing, ore lll:rl looks fol.w|lrd inlo lhc flrture :rncl ,oLlrer that rcaches l back into the pasl.

]ICITAL
'

REALMS

ilr'amrners began crptoring llrc aftistic polentil1l of complrter. technoloel rrost irom thc 6rst, but it was onlv \\'ilh the dcr,cloprnent o1 the pcrsonal mputel and spccialized solt$arc plogranrs Lhat anists \!ho \efc'not plo.,mners could cxplore these possibilities:Ls well. ln al.i as in other rpplica,rs conrputers lrarc plo|ecl themsch'cs uselul r,s 11ool, cnabhls s(,rnc tasks b. perfbrnrecl easil] and mpidt) that bv hancl qJefe limc consunilrg of clcn Dossible. Dra$,ing plrgrams, lor cxarnple, enable aftists to 1e\\ork clr.llL-ssh . screer, choos. onc color and Lh.n another save $'ofk in \'adous st.lgcs cur J paste all beiorc committing thcnNehes to a lin:rl outpLrt on paPer: N{ofc r.fcsting to an! afiists, ho\!e!er is rhe cligital realm iiself and ar1 that is .rtcd especilllr lor it. Jenniler Banlcrt \\as one.rl sevcr-al anisls inrireddudng the rrid l9lt0sto . a neNiv der,elopcd hard$rLle slsrcm called Paintbor, b! Qua,rrel (6.14) ..rtbori fe.Lhlres a digitized draNing pad thrl Lhe arlist "drr\!! (n \!ilh a

6.14
1986.

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6.rs (lelt) Elliou creen.

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Lfoni SArr./, Morie. 2000. Charcoal on fapcr, scanned aDd

special pcn shaped str-lus aitached ro ihc compurer in much rhe same \rav rhi, a mouse is. The marks do not appear.on rhc. pad, howeveri but on rhe scrccl 1 n'renu allo\\'s wictth, c.rkrr, texturr, aDd so on, ro be selccled and chruued a1 \ il

cortres\ Posrnastea calloni

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6.16 (rjshr) Palrl Noble. Nobsp)tdl. 1997 98. Pen.iloD papcrt E 2l ). 59. Collni, Nla.li HLbba d

Ier irs elolution $ras also fccorded in deo. Thant , to recording, all srages of thc drarving rcmain available, instcad of eaclr orrr
anci pr.lnte.t at anv sLage,

Drr.\int on rlre.umpur. r i. e.,dnr . h J.-\\ rc \ir r tip,rr A. urrtr \i.iunor .,r in(d e],,... .h. in J!c :. I rrJ. ut tigt , t,!rrrarar,5/,u,/i, ir,.r. nl rslle(,ii,e,'P:t.BJ lc ,.mp.i. bhcll-\.,hrll .,u\rnreLo tl,i.cl,-,J. rr.rr. l. -lrJn.t!rcn.1....o1 rr-r, i. J<fi red l-r :.1|ro,r rur'r.r.sburtru. ir <n.cr..nJretrJ.r.'i-nr. lfr'.IJ\\irp .,UlJ.ot ..ur.q,be,,..i;.dnr i.,.

160.r)R.\\LrNc

reing covcrd up b) lhe ncxt. More interestingll recording suggests ihat the .lfawing might be ils evolution. lnslead ofreachjng a definitive slage and pass' ng onto paper, a dla\\ing mighl be a process, a scries of possibilities thal re|er resolve, an explomtion of a subject over tjrne Elliott Green takes up ihis idea in the digilally animated loops hc calls .ketch movies (6.f5). Each brief movie recolds the progress of a drau'ing We .\arch as the first lines are laid clown, then fleshed into forms, then patially ..r ased, then worked up again. Delails fall into placc, and the drau'ing seen$ r be linished-only to stafi all over again from rhe beginning. Grecn \\'orks raditionallv in charcoal on paper. He scans his draNing onto the computer al .gular inten'als, then uses a digital animation program to link lhe scans in -ruickened time-laDse sequence, so that we can \\'a!ch a drawirg that may have .r oh,ed ovcr da-vi come into being in the space of a minute He displar.'s rrs sketch movies on a small computer screen moDnted on a \\'all of sct on

REACHINC FOR THE WALL

\oLrng artisis looking for liesh teuitory to explore ollen tuln received lvisdon n its head, just to flee up some space for thcmseh'es. Drau'ings, fbr example .r. iradilionally thought of as small and intimate. In pat, this is becausc his,dcally artists have used them to \rork out ideas lbrpaintings or lo gatherli.rai maledal more generatly In palt, hou'eve! it is also due to anolher rcason )u mighr not think olr the size of paper For centuries, afiisr-quality paper rs made in singte sheets in standard sizes Todal howeve! qualitr papel is . ailabte in largcr and larger sizes, inclu ding roles I 0 leet \vide-taller than an

Paul Noble uses rvall sizc paper !o make \\'a]l-si7e dra\\'ings. Al just over 5 feet in wi.ith, Nol,?ilal (6.16) is far lrom his .,fgest efiort. Drawn from an aerial "birds cye" perspective and p.rcl(ed rlith inlrte detail, Nobles dra ,ings document an imaginary io\vn called Nobson \r\\to\\'n. Nobspital is lhe tou'nt hospital. Like all of lhe archirecturc in the Nn, it is formed frolrr large block lellers that spell out its name: NOB SPIT\L. Ihe toNn motto of Nobson Ne('tou'n is "No sryle, onlv technique. No ac.ir'nts, onlr- mistakes." The to$'ni name refers to the suburban "new to$ns" :rt optimistic city planners crcated in England during the 2Oth cerlury Nob. n Newlolln nc\r seems to ha\:e a human presence, and much o[ it is pol.rcd and crumbling a$ay Has the toun bcen abandoned? Or are $e perlups '\ing ovel an abandoned drcam, a dleam about how modern archilecture )Lrld crcate per fcct communiiics? Other altists have taken draNing even further back to its loots, creating ,r just uall sizc dratings bLLt dra$itlg on the \\'all ilself. The large scalc of .,li drauings broadens our idcas of $hat a dm\\ing can be, yet for all thcir rpressive size, thcse dla$ings are in a sensc cven more vulnerable than trarional uorks on paper lor not onlv are thel displal-ed in the open, uithout :.\ proreclive colering, br-l| they are rarel! intended to be pennanen! Instead j are drawn for a parlicular exhibition, thcn paiiled over \\'hen the exhibi,n ends. Somc mal later reappear in a varicd fonn in othcr exhibitions, sort nliel.atorv $,orks that never shorv themsclves in th same place luicc

. r.ei in height but only aboui

.,

c subject of the drawing is the sel of instructions for its crealion, ancl -\Vitt insisls that the,v be posted nearby For example, lhc instruclions tor a ,,k calied lrall DruNins #912 are: A 12inch (305-cn) grid cove ngthc -,lls. Within each 12-inch (30.5-cm) square, one arc hom the comer or - midpoint of one side. (Thc direction of the arcs and their placement are .rclmined bv the draftsman.)
RECE\T
D

u'as Sol LcRather' he creatcs the himsell. his duu'ings does not execute rri. Lewitt .Iruciions for making lhe dmNing and entmsts their execution 1() others-

'.

er.r, rlt once un.J rh.n,r< -e"n. 'l One oi lhe first contemporary artisls to cr-eate \!all dra$ings

IR F:CTIO

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rer'
The instructions seem dn and uncomprlmisi[g, as though rhc afli\r were reining in cr.calivitv rather than unlcashing i!. Yet as realized hcff in a pdvate homc (6.22), the resulting draNing is oper, restrained, and c1!. gant, \\,ith rcpcating arcs geneEting a rh!'thm like seagulls' \\,ings or rolli ! $aves. The instruc!ions could producc a \'ast number oI other dmurings rhar !!oL d look quite different, vet thev $'ould all be related becausc th$ spring llom the samc idea. The idea, or conccpt, is rhe goveming principlc and, bc cause of this, $e $ork of Le$Iitt and olhcr like minded atisrs is kn.,\,n r. Conceptual Art. Like Lc\\iittls dra!\'ing, the $'all dra$ings of JrrrathaD Borofskv rcappeal in manv rariations. llefe, however there is not a single go\.e ine ided, bLLr a single ror,,ce-thc aftistls ongoing notebook of sketches. Borofsk! \\,as $,ork in-"ro.her kind. ir . $,( | lre be.rmc rrrr ipuru ! i l- .he ,n -ll d.J\i,p he cloodled almost absentnindedh. in margins, <,n scraps of papcr on Lh. backs of cnvclopes. The dra\\,ings \\'crc of random images that floarcd thrcuglr his nind, especialh those lrorn his dreams of the nigh! before. Instcad of us ing these drarvings as the basis of mole developcd rior.ks, Borofskr decidcd rc, presene their dircchess and spontaneitv bv proiccting thern onto a \\'all and tlacing over thc pfojeclil)r. GiYen an exhibiiion space, be coYers \Ialls, ccil ings, ancl eren floors Nith enlarsed dra\\'ines of his lhoughts and drcams. F(,, vie\\'eIS, being in the |orn1 is like being insidc of someone else'.s hcad. Borcl skv selects diffcrcnl dlawings for each erhibit, bul aln]osr ahvays inclu.Lcd is 9ll Portrait \\,ilh Biit La^ (6,18). The dra$in.e rcpresents "me as a dog rr malbe a labbit an.l mv wanting to hcar $,irat they can hear," thc arlisl has saicl. "Thev havc a special kincl of radar. I also see the ears like antcnnac thaL send and receivc cner-e1."'

,falrirt

6.17 lleh) Sol Lc\\iLr. llirll +9/2. 1999. Whi!c craron aDd black ]tncil efid or gh\ walls. First dra{n b! Sachiko Cho aDd Emih Ripleli
Junc 1999.
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In contrast to the drawings of Borofsky and Le$'itt, Elise Engler's E cry :ting Thel Let Me Drart (6.19) existed only once. Engler uas asked by a gallen
n New York to parlicipate in an exhibit by drau,ing the exhibit itsell on fie ,nll. working in colored pencil, Engler dreu' not onlv the art but evel-lhing r rhe exhibition space rhat colrld be looked at, including lighling fixlures, - )ckets, u'a1er pipes, elevator buttons, \vall labels, rvindou, shades, and a 6re \ringuisher She also broke each l'ork of art down jnto ils components ard r ew those separatel); as though each uere a thing worlhy oI altenlion in its \11 rjght. Ever_vthing is dra$n rcughl)' the same size, resulting in delighllul ,nd disorienting shifts in scale. By refusiig to recognize anv differences be .\een the many objects that could be seen in the gallery, Englers witty inven ,n raised interesting questions about ait in a sly and playful rva1. The Nall drawings of Lewitt, Borofsk]r and Englel bring us back fu11 cir ie !o the earliest art of the cales, In bypassjng conr'enlional sur'Iaces such as _rper, these artists shou us that drauing need accept no linrits, no restrictive .,zes or shapes. Dfawins is so much a natural impulse that it can be arcund . in the most natulal $ar'.

Thet Let Me Dn Pencil ^nd colored pencil on Nall, 9 x 5. Ar1 in Gcncml, Nc$ \bfk, lannar_a
29 Apnl4, 1998.

5.19 Elise Engler. E

.rllrirA

REcE\T DIREcTIo

s'

163