What is drawing?’ the artist asks in the prologue to Drawing: Antony Gormley. ‘What does it mean to draw?’ This beautifully illustrated volume presents the first comprehensive overview of Antony Gormley’s drawings from 1980 to the present day, offering an intimate and enlightening window into the artist’s vision. Illustrating over 400 works, many of which have never been seen or published before, this major new publication traces Gormley’s exploration of drawing as a vital form of thought and feeling. The artist’s own reflections punctuate the book with deeply personal insights into his process, including ruminations on drawing’s possibilities – ‘the act of drawing is its own experimental field, a journey into the unarmed parts of our internal landscape’ – and meditations on ‘the intrinsic qualities of substances and liquids’, from charcoal, mushroom ink and blood to the earth beneath our feet. Accompanying Gormley’s writings are perceptive texts by Jeanette Winterson, Margaret Iversen, Daisy Hildyard, W.J.T. Mitchell and Merlin Sheldrake. Each contributor offers a unique perspective on Gormley’s work and the wider meaning of drawing as an act of exploration and transformation. Drawing: Antony Gormley stands as both a personal and artistic journey. As Gormley himself reflects, ‘Drawings have immediacy. In a good session, drawing can be like going for a rugged, physical adventure on a blustery day with changing conditions of light and rain. A day passed without drawing is a day lost.’
