Drawing
Distinctions: The Varieties of Graphic
Expression
by Patrick
Maynard
Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY,
2005
296 pp., illus. 92 b/w. Trade, $59.95/£31.50;
paper, $29.95/£15.50
ISBN: 0801443245; ISBN:0801472806.
Reviewed by Amy Ione
The Diatrope Institute
ione@diatrope.com
Patrick Maynard, a Professor of Philosophy
at the University of Western Ontario,
sets the stage for his latest book,
Drawing Distinctions: The Varieties of
Graphic Expression, with the thought:
"I would not have written [this book]
except that drawing has been a part of
my lifes activity for my whole life,
even when, like a musician looking wistfully
at an unused instrument, I have not been
able to practice it" (p. xxii). This sentiment,
which explains why he was attracted to
the subject, fails to express the breadth
of Drawing Distinctions. Running
approximately 290 double-columned pages,
this volume, which is the first philosophical
treatise on drawing, explains the bases
of meaning in all kinds of drawings (including
technical and informational, design, childrens
drawings, and art drawingsdepictive
and non-depictive, East and West). In
doing so, Maynard employs far-reaching
source material, engaging cognitive and
developmental psychology, philosophy,
art history and criticism.
Overall, the volumes sweep is extraordinary.
Moreover, as the author surveys the rich
and varied practices we can characterize
as drawing, he moves easily from the earliest
markings on cave walls and the complex
technical schematics that make the modern
world possible to cartoons, the first
efforts of preschoolers, and to the works
of skilled draftspeople and great artists.
Arguing that drawing is best seen as a
"tool-kit," Drawing Distinctions
thus adopts an approach that extends far
beyond art and representation. Despite
the wide reach of the study, there is
surprising little empirical research in
the book.
Two of the impressive aspects of the study
are its goals and organization. Rather
than presenting yet another book that
equates drawing with art, Maynard aims
to show that this more typical equation
is far too limited. A systematic, fully
philosophical and critical analysis instead
places drawings in tandem with theoretical
arguments, breaking his careful argued
general theory of drawing into four parts.
Part I presents the practical importance
of all kinds of drawings, reminding the
reader that typical treatments omit many
aspects of drawing. Parts II-IV then offer
a progressive sequence of what he calls
the course of drawing, introducing art
as a part of this expanded exposition
in Parts III and IV.
More specifically, Part I lays the groundwork
for seeing drawing in a larger context
(i.e., many manufactured items
are drawn before they are made and this
kind of drawing is hardly representational).
The chapters in this section also ask
unusual questions (i.e., Could
there be a modern world without
technical and design drawings?), speak
of why there is a paucity of historical
drawings, and begin a recurring analysis
of perspective and projective systems.
Part II proceeds to examine childrens
art and seeks to expand beyond the spatial
considerations associated with visual
perception. Introducing Kendall Waltons
theory of visual depiction and a critical
exposition of E.H. Gombrichs Art
and Illusion facilitates the author
in navigating the variables, which ranges
from Mayan art to Italian wall painting
and decorative depiction. It is with Part III
that art begins to enter the picture with
greater specificity. Here the author develops
a case for drawings autonomy while
further preparing the ground for a consideration
of drawing as art. One of the strengths
of the book is the way this section pairs
historical ideas with the education and
development (as shown in drawing books).
Artistic drawing in general, theoretical
treatments, and perceptual issues are
the three major themes of this section.
Part IV brings us to the fullness of drawing
in what is perhaps the most ambitious
section of the book. Paying close attention
to Rembrandt and Cézanne, Maynard
offers the view that drawing as depiction
can be a creative act, not only an element
that exists in addition to depiction.
The degree to which Drawing Distinctions
is effective no doubt stems from its ubiquity,
which allows it to add some philosophical
reflection to the literature of drawing.
Still, this highly erudite approach loses
some of the texture of art practice and
the contextual elements more evident in
an art historical analysis. Despite an
obvious effort to encompass the mechanics
of art, I did not feel it captured that
many people draw for the sense of fulfillment
it brings them internally. Comprehensive
and well illustrated, the author is more
successful in revealing the interconnections
and developments that unite drawing with
other disciplines (i.e., art history,
art criticism, cognitive and developmental
psychology, and aesthetics) than expressing
why people draw. Based on his references
to his own experience, it seems Maynard
deeply understands how fulfilling the
activity is. Still, in my view, the books
philosophical foundation somewhat undermines
this authors efforts to fully convey
what drawing gives to some on a personal
level. This is not to suggest there is
no mechanism within the text to capture
this feeling. I periodically found myself
so captivated by the excellent images
that I began sketching them to see how
they were made. Perhaps this in itself
is a recommendation.
Finally, in light of Maynards background
in philosophy, it is not surprising to
find his theory of drawing examines the
work of thinkers that include (among others)
Booker, Ferguson, Gombrich, Goodman Meder,
Panofsky, Rawson, Tufte, Willats, and
Wollheim. References to state-of-the-art
scientific research would have made the
study seem more up-to-date overall. While
anyone interested in theories of drawing
will find this book an essential reference,
practicing artists looking for insight
into their love of drawing are apt to
find the philosophical framework a bit
overwrought. Even as it is clear that
Maynard has deep feeling for drawing as
a practice, it seems this bold book expresses
his experience in arguing philosophically
more effectively than his passion for
artmaking. Fortunately, particularly in
light of the subject matter, theoretical
conclusions are accompanied by 92 black
and white illustrations that are well
chosen and enticing. They serve to underscore
the variety and value of drawing in all
of its manifestations.