17 January 2021 – Sunday
This a 250-word response to the documentary: The Secret of Drawing 1 – The Line of Enquiry.
In the beginning of the documentary, I was surprised and fascinated by how Francis Wells used a patient’s blood to sketch the heart during an operation. I never knew that even surgeons utilize drawing lines in such vital circumstances and the option to use very unique mediums. Next, I was fascinated by how George Stubbs focused on just one animal–the horse–and produced truly remarkable drawings. His drawings look alive. It feels like I can touch the horse and feel its hair and bones when I look at Stubbs’ drawings. Similarly, John Audubon’s obsession with birds led to beautiful drawings. I love the colors and smooth lines. I was shocked by how he drew two birds eating a carcass, including the blood, and did not shy away from showing the wild nature of it. This taught me that I should capture the true beauty and realness of my subjects when I draw. Throughout the documentary, the narrator described how the intricate details and feelings of the subjects that the artists focused on, such as John Constable almost trying to fill his wife’s lungs with air from his tree drawings as she was dying from emphysema. The documentary and the artists who were discussed made me appreciate the nature and small details of everything around me. I hope to make others feel the same way through my drawings.