Drawing to Disrupt the Canon
This workshop is designed for art historians, artists and museum professionals who would like to disrupt the traditional narratives associated with European, ‘Old Master’ art. The session explores the empathetic potential of drawing to dissolve rather than reinforce established notions of the master and the copyist.
Methods
The session uses a series of short drawing prompts to promote inaccuracy and ‘mistake’ making in drawing. These experiments will be used to analyse the validity of our subjective impressions while also developing the humanity of the historic artists we work from.
Please note: This workshop is an active, drawing workshop. Please come willing to draw. It is designed for all ability levels and does not require expert technical skill in drawing.
Objectives
- By engaging with some of the iconic names of western Art History through drawing, participants will see how drawing can (gently, yet radically) disrupt the institutional, typically white supremacist, narratives that construct our cultural understanding of these artists and their art.
- Participants can use workshop content to establish new methods of conducting research into historic and contemporary artists.
Schedule
Min 00-10: Introduction, origins of the session and experience of workshop leader
Min 10-15: Overview of the session exercises, setting up with materials and artworks.
Min 15-20: exercise 1, text and image
Min 20-25: exercise 2, blind drawing
Min 25-35: exercise 3, linear expression and textures
Min 35-40: exercise 4, negative space
Min 40-50: exercise 5, analysis and interpretation of drawings as points of further research
Min 50-60: Discussion, Q&A