Samuel Beckett... drawing and Mark Rothko...

Sketch of Samuel Beckett out of an old sketch book of mine. Drawn when I was 16, 17, 18 somewhere around there no date on, but a 5 minute sketch if that. I have thought and said to people; Drawing is not about producing a drawing, so much as about seeing what is 'there' rather than what you think is there, the finished drawing becomes secondary to seeing and understanding what is actually in front of you. Plato's cave... shadows and seeing the sun. I just read an article about a Michelangelo drawing exhibition, when I was around the same age as when I did this drawing, I held in my hands and looked at several Michelangelo's drawings, thanks to The British Library. Michelangelo's drawings you could say 'sing'. Most drawings are just drawings. When I was at Chelsea school of Art, one of the best life drawers I have seen was there, 18 or 19 though she made abstract sculptures. In fact it was the woman who took me along to The Tate to the Rothko room to help me understand / engage with abstract art. As I did not know or understand how to engage with abstract art at the time. This link is interesting, this is 'technical' skill not art, but amazing none the less; https://lnkd.in/gYEJNQn Apologies for the expletive my critique on my drawing. Though a harsh critic of my drawing skills one thing that was often said about my drawing and painting of people / the figure. 'It looks as though it is about to move or breath, it is not graphic art but conveys something about the person or people'...

Russell Hand © ®