The book suggests that visual memory is a key aspect of drawing, framing it as a journey into the
imagination.
How do you think visual memory functions in the practice of drawing?
Can you think of examples where drawing from memory or imagination might provide a different
kind of insight compared to drawing from life?
From my point of view, visual memory is the foundation of drawing and also improve the artists’
ability to transform intellectual ideas to visual form. A helpful visual memory can allow artists to
construct images of objects in their minds, allowing them to create without direct observation,
which is especially important for original works and for working from memory. In addition, visual
memory can help artists understand the spatial relationships and proportions between objects,
which is essential for creating a sense of depth and perspective. Furthermore, when they are
facing a creative challenge, visual memory is reliable to find solutions which draws on the past
experience and techniques.
Throughout the process, artists are able to reproduce visual memory through observing things
and people around them. Memories can provide painters with invaluable inspiration, and help
them reproduce those details when they paint.
With the inspiration and their extensive thinking process can produce the work. However,
drawings from memories and the drawing from life might be different. For one perspective, while
drawing from memories, artists might beautify their memories as this is the nature of brain,
which leads to the cosmic style. Some details might be simplified by memories.
Based on my personal experience, memories give me a lot of inspiration and bring me to the
thinking process. I have a lot of memories related to flowers. So my memories give me a direction
of drawing. When I draw the flower from memories, I will unintentionally ignore the details on
the flowers such as petals and the stamens. While drawing, there is only a contour of this flower
in my head. I have to use feelings to create the artworks, which leads to the abstraction of the
unrealistic flower. However, when I am drawing from reality, I am able to have more time to
observe details of the flowers and draw more precisely.
In addition, drawing from memories will also blur some details such as lighting and shadow.
While drawing from the reality, there will be lights from different sides which thus create the
shadow. It is hard to think about shadow in the mind. But we can use human eyes to see the
shadow changing. Therefore, drawing from observation will focus on more on the lighting. Take
drawing flower as an example. When I am drawing from the memory, I can’t imagine the position
of the light. By contrast, drawing from reality enables me to see the shadow and its position so
that drawing from reality will be more precise.
More importantly, drawing from memories is a great opportunity to develop creative thinking
skills. There might be something new come out of the artists’ mind when they are recalling the
objects, which can’t be experienced when drawing from life.
As to conclude, memory is one of the important parts prior to the drawing process. It forms the
foundation of elements and helps to develop reflective thoughts from daily objects. At the same
time, there are certain difference between drawing from object and drawing from memories in
terms of beautification and loss of details.