This month I went to see the exhibitions at the Tate Modern, The EY Exhibition Picasso 1932, Joan Jonas and Shape of Light. I was interested in Picasso and Joan Jonas as they both practice drawing and mark making in their art. Both explore emotions and story telling using a multidisciplinary approach too.
Picasso’s drawing practice was varied as it showed his work in different forms, such as on paper, on collage and in print. He drew with free flowing movements, portraying work on large and small images. Also, on close up inspection of his sculptures you can see the mark of the artist. I was interested in his use of composition, line, tone, shape, pattern and form. One room had many of his ink drawings, which showed rich light and dark tones.
Joan Jonas was inspiring too, her drawing appears on stones, chalk boards, large sheets of paper, sand, objects and her body. She uses her drawing in relation to video performance with reference to fairy tales and stories. I like the way she used long sticks with chalk for drawing and a reed pen and ink for sketching. In fact her drawing appears on walls and canvases too. Her drawing methods are quick, short marks that are a response to the performance she is engaged in. Animals, birds and fish feature highly as images. Jonas holds the paper against her body and face to draw, she even has actors drawing next to her in a ritualistic way.
I would be interested in exploring some of Jonas’s techniques, particularly using video/film to record the movements and physical actions of drawing.
Ann Marie Varnam Drawing 1 Blog 