So to start off this month’s post, let’s briefly look at the subtle differences between two different categories of art. This will enable two things: a) for us to be on the same “page” when it comes to discussing artworks on paper (Please, PLEASE forgive the awful puns in this post!) and (b) for you to impress all your friends with your insightful knowledge of the art world.
Ok, so drawings vs. paintings. What’s the difference?? Scholars may differ slightly in their varying definitions, but I will do my best to offer us simple, concise definitions…
Drawing: any work using “dry” media (eg, charcoal, pencil, chalk or pastel) – the one exception here being the “wet” media of pen/brush and ink – usually executed on paper, although some artists continually push this limit to include drawings on canvas.
Painting: any work executed using “wet” media, including mixed media wherein any combination of oil paint, acrylic paint, charcoal, encaustic, etc. A painting can be done on paper, canvas, board, or any surface capable of sustaining the pigments safely over time.
The distinction here is that a “drawing” can quickly morph into becoming a “painting” by simply including a liquid to suspend the pigment on the surface.
Envision this as an example………. picture an artist sketching with charcoal on paper. Then suddenly he reaches for a paint brush, dips it into water and begins to “paint” by smudging the charcoal around the paper with the wet brush, thus moving from drawing into painting.
Again, the scholars out there may be screaming inside right now, and that’s ok. But as an active artist, I’ll tell you that this is often the line of distinction for me personally. This is how I engage my own art process. And it is with this viewpoint that I regard the work of others – whether I’m scouting pieces for clients or simply admiring them in a gallery.
It’s funny – many people consider European, Old-World oil paintings (often, specifically oil and not acrylic!) to be the quintessential piece of “art”. That’s fine. They can think that way.
It’s also funny that many contemporary “painters” out there today are blurring the lines (again, with the shameless puns. Whew!!!) between painting and drawing. Take for instance the artist Scott Ingram. He would probably be considered a painter, first and foremost. But recently he has used nail polish, an atypical medium, and the pull of gravity to make his mark. Check out his process….
By nearly omitting himself and allowing gravity to fatefully pull the vibrant nail polish pigments across and down the paper, Ingram has created something altogether different – part drawing, part painting? You tell me. But look at how captivating his work can be…
Notice how designer Suzanne Kasler infuses this highly-traditional room setting with new life by selecting her color palette based on a Scott Ingram piece on paper. It’s truly delightful!
Another artist who blurred the lines of drawing and painting is the late Cy Twombly, whose pieces are at once childlike and intimate, cryptic and profound.
Such a wonderful composition, artwork with furnishings. Great mix.
And here, notice how this monolithic-scaled work on paper presides over this living room setting. The piece is both serene and fragile. There is something very familiar and childlike about being face-to-face with artwork on paper.
In his book Living with Art, author Mark Getlein writes: “In drawings…we have the impression of being present at an intimate transaction between artist and (paper).”
And it’s true, there is something immediate and human about a fragile piece of paper, especially considering that a work on canvas may last centuries longer. Little Rock’s own Arts Center is devoted to works on paper. Did you know that?
Notice how placing a drawing on paper above this mantle provides an air of simple elegance and approachability.
And how this small-scale ink abstract on paper by Franz Kline amps up the power factor in this bold lacquered dining room by Suzanne Kasler…
Good stuff, right??!!
Well, there’s some brilliant art discourse for your day. Hopefully you’re totally in tune with your inner artist by now. Now go grab a pencil or paintbrush and make a doodle, or a sketch, or a painting even. And above the all, learn to value artworks on paper. They’re really so cool. Cheers!
Active in the Little Rock design scene since 2006, Joshua Plumlee is passionate about reimagining elegant interiors with a focus on original artwork and an unconventional approach to luxurious style.
