This book explores the variety of ways in which contemporary artists from around the world have
come to approach drawing as the primary sometimes the sole element of their practice and one
which is autonomous: an end in itself rather than a means to an end in another more
substantial medium. In an era of advanced technologies where image production has accelerated
potentially beyond the capacity of human attention what values can be attributed to the slow
deliberate process of drawing by hand. The artworks featured in this volume are not confined to
traditional tools one can also draw on a computer tablet or smartphone and examples of
digital drawing are incorporated into the narrative not as a separate category but as one
medium among many. Grouped thematically by specific approaches including abstraction and
figuration nature and artifice social observation and critique with essays and feature
spreads for each section this selection of international artists of diverse backgrounds and
experience includes not only recognizable names such as Michael Armitage Camille Henrot
Robert Longo Amy Sillman and Kara Walker but also a host of emerging talents.--
