ABSTRACT
A Methodology for the Study of
Sketchbooks and a Case Study of Two Nineteenth-Century Canadian Examples
Gilbert L. Gignac
1992
This study proposes a methodology for the
examination and analysis of drawing in artists' sketchbooks. The study of the physical
structure of the sketchbook is critical to our understanding of its context as well as the
iconography and style of the content.
The problems inherent in studying sketchbooks and
their drawings are assessed in Chapter One. The manner in which drawing is studied in
general in the history of Canadian art is also presented. Erroneous perceptions of
neglected sketchbooks are discussed and the essential and fundamental knowledge about
drawing and the nature of the sketch as a form of drawing are described. The history of
the blankbook as an artist's drawing tool is briefly examined and related to the way it is
studied by scholars. Problems around the accessibility and presentation of sketchbooks for
study are commented on, as well as aspects of their description and interpretation.
The second chapter, supported by an appendix of
technical terms, proposes a methodology for the study of sketchbooks using the field and
nomenclature of analytical bibliography. Valid arguments are given in a discussion of the
advantages of using such a structured approach to the study of sketchbooks and the process
of book construction, and their relationship to achieving a complete analysis of the
complexity of the sketchbook and its drawings.
In the third chapter, after briefly reflecting on
the procedures used to arrive at a selection, two case studies will be presented through
the application of the proposed methodology, the analysis of The Moose Deer Hunting
Sketchbook by Sir Henry James Warre(1819-1889), and The Overlanders '62 Sketchbook by
William George Richardson Hind (1833-1889). The sketchbook as object is analyzed in light
of the relationships among the circumstances, subject matter, medium, nature and style of
the sketches.
The complexity of this area of study is
appreciated and the time/space relationships particular to travel sketchbooks are assessed
in the conclusion. Thoughts on the nature of nineteenth-century drawing are also discussed
in light of the methodology used to analyze the two selected sketchbooks.
Return to the Main Listing
of Theses or
use your browser's BACK button to return to the previous page
