The Story of Drawing
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The Story of Drawing by Susan Owens
Drawing is at the heart of human creativity. The most democratic form of art-making, it requires nothing more than a plain surface and a stub of pencil, a piece of chalk or an inky brush. Our prehistoric ancestors drew with natural pigments on the walls of caves, and every subsequent culture has practised drawing—whether on papyrus, parchment, or paper. Artists throughout history have used drawing as part of the creative process. While painting and sculpture have been shaped heavily by money and influence, drawing has always offered extraordinary creative latitude. Here we see the artist at his or her most unguarded. Susan Owens offers a glimpse over artists’ shoulders—from Michelangelo, Rembrandt, and Hokusai to Van Gogh, Käthe Kollwitz, and Yayoi Kusama—as they work, think, and innovate, as they scrutinise the world around them or escape into imagination. The Story of Drawing loops around the established history of art, sometimes staying close, at other times diving into exhilarating and altogether less familiar territory.
“[A] compelling and enlightening book”—Michael Prodger, APOLLO
“Owens’s selection of artworks is superb. Each provides a plot point in her history of drawing. . . . Its scope is enormous, but the book feels suitably intimate.”—Daisy Dunn, Literary Review
“Owens’s book matters because drawing continues to be marginalized in public understanding of what art is. . . . The Story of Drawing makes the case for drawing as uniquely able to convey aspects of human experience that no other medium can.”—Ben Street, Times Literary Supplement
“Owens’s selection of artworks is superb. Each provides a plot point in her history of drawing. . . . Its scope is enormous, but the book feels suitably intimate.”—Daisy Dunn, Literary Review
“Owens’s book matters because drawing continues to be marginalized in public understanding of what art is. . . . The Story of Drawing makes the case for drawing as uniquely able to convey aspects of human experience that no other medium can.”—Ben Street, Times Literary Supplement
Dr Susan Owens is a writer, art historian and former V&A curator. Her previous books include The Art of Drawing, Spirit of Place and Imagining England’s Past.
| SKU | CIN0300260474VG |
| ISBN 13 | 9780300260472 |
| ISBN 10 | 0300260474 |
| Title | The Story of Drawing |
| Author | Susan Owens |
| Condition | Very good |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
| Year published | 2024-10-01 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us |
