Holbein, Hockney and the Power of Drawing

“Drawing is the artist’s most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.“
-- Edgar Degas”

I'm writing this newsletter from under a pile of blankets, having caught flu while in London last week. But despite the flu, I'm glad I went. I got to see two incredible exhibitions and a play, all three of which were super-inspiring.

First I saw Holbein at the Tudor Court and then Hockney's Drawing from Life. Both shows featured more drawings than paintings, and the drawings were a revelation. It's no surprise that Holbein and Hockney are great talents - we all know that. But what surprised me was the difference in impact between their paintngs and their line drawings.

Holbein was one of the first naturalistic portrait painters, but his paintings still make me feel quite removed from the subjects. I can feel every one of the 500 years that separate me from the important people he portrayed. But with the drawings, everything changes. Suddenly, these people come alive.

The drawings are beautifully rendered in chalks and watercolour and Holbein's skill is breathtaking, but it's as if the people are actually right there in the room. And, more than that, it's as if Holbein is too. I could feel his gentle, observant nature. I sensed that he lost himself in the drawing process, in order to allow his sitters' characters to come through. Looking at these faces, and at the crinkled paper once held by Holbein, was an intensely moving experience with none of the "distanced" feeling I get from the paintings.

I had a similar experience with Hockney at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition was made of up paintings, drawings and a few photo collages, but it was the drawings that really stood out for me. They were alive with Hockney's curiosity and with his joy. Each of his drawings was exquisitely observed, yes, but their magic came from the fact that Hockney so obviously delighted in making them. His love for people shone through every line, as did his love for drawing itself.

Holbein and Hockney share an ability to truly see the people they are portraying, and something about the immediacy of drawing means we see it  and feel it too, while also feeling the personality of the artist as if he is in the room with us.

I'm not sure what this means for my own work, but I found it a fascinating insight into the power of drawing. I am often asked whether I think all artists should be able to draw and I've never really had a strong opinion either way. But now I am leaning vey much towards it being vital - even if your art is actually abstract. Drawing is about seeing and understanding, and finding ways to convey that understanding to others. And that is perhaps the primary role of the artist - to see or feel and then communicate what we've seen or felt.

This will be my last newsletter until the new year. I'm taking a much-needed break over the holidays and I hope you'll all do the same. Rest and relaxation are important for our creativity as well as for our physical and mental health.

So have a great holiday season and I will see you again in the new year :)

Love,
Louise x