Despite the trend towards the non-representational, conceptual and new media since the beginning of the 20th century, drawing has continued to be fundamental to artistic practice. In recent years, drawings have come to be seen, perhaps more than ever before, as autonomous works of art. What has shifted dramatically is the notion of what constitutes drawing, a notion which has been widened, furthermore, in response to transcultural perspectives. From the multiple viewpoints afforded by Braque to the exploration of race and gender in Boyce, the practice of drawing today includes many different types of work, each giving us unique insights into the world we live in at the same time as enabling us to glimpse into the artist’s mind and witness the creative process.

“Historically, drawing has been understood as a mark or line on paper, the record of a bodily gesture, an inscription of the hand’s actions, an expression of the mind.”

Jodi Hauptman, Drawing from the Modern