Drawing in the Present Tense. Claire Gilman, Roger Malbert.
In English. Softcover, 280 pages, 246 x 324 x 27. Thames and Hudson, March 2023.
A richly illustrated and up-to-date overview of new approaches in drawing, contextualized in recent developments in other contemporary art forms. This book explores the diverse ways in which contemporary artists around the world have come to approach drawing as the main, sometimes only, element of their practice, and a stand-alone element: an end in itself, rather than a means to an end in another, more substantial medium. In an era of advanced technologies in which the production of images has accelerated -- potentially beyond the capacity of human attention -- what values can be attributed to the slow and deliberate process of drawing by hand? The artworks presented in this volume are not limited to traditional tools--one can also draw on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, and the examples of digital drawing are incorporated into the narrative not as a separate category, but as one medium among many others.
Grouped thematically by specific approaches, including abstraction and figuration, nature and artifice, social and critical observation, with essays and reports for each section, this selection of international artists from diverse backgrounds and experiences includes not only recognizable names such as Michael Armitage, Camille Henrot, Robert Longo, Amy Sillman and Kara Walker, but also a host of emerging talents. Elegantly presented in a visually appealing and tactile format, with the feel of an artist's portfolio, this is an inspiring panorama of the best of drawing being practiced today.
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