The Medium Is the Message: Drawing in Britain, 1750-1950

Ann Bermingham, professor emeritus at UC Santa Barbara, uncovers the methods used to create British drawings between the 17th and 19th centuries.

As a process of visual thinking, drawing is an art of discovery. This is true both for the artist who uses drawing to create an image and for the viewer who can see in the drawing that process of creation. For both, discovery depends on the technical manipulation of media. In drawing, the medium is the message, whether pencil, watercolor, ink, or charcoal. This talk looks at the materials and techniques of drawing and their role in the creative process.

This is the Wark Lecture in Art History.