The Social Semiotic Potential of Gestural Drawing

Riley, Howard and Roberts, Amanda (2012) The Social Semiotic Potential of Gestural Drawing. Journal of Visual Art Practice, 11 (1). pp. 63-73. ISSN 1470-2029

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Abstract

This article explores the relationship between semiotic understanding and gestural drawing practice. Gesture is discussed as an integral drawing strategy in the production of a body of practical research titled Extended Drawings. Recent debate (Schneckloth 2008) about whether gestural and embodied practice falls outside the realm of semiotic analysis is addressed, and a selection of the Extended Drawings series is analysed within a semiotic framework. Specifically, a systemic-functional semiotic model is introduced and explained. Such a model is shown to facilitate the negotiation of a wider range of meanings than otherwise available, particularly revealing underlying assumptions of the model/artist/viewer social relationships. It is concluded that no drawing practice is beyond the realm of the semiotic, and that semiotic analysis is applicable across the whole domain of drawing, including the gestural, as a means of generating meaning.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Drawing, Semiotics
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NC Drawing Design Illustration
Divisions:	Institutes and Academies > Wales Institute for Science & Art (WISA) > Academic Discipline: Art & Media
Related URLs:	Organisation
Depositing User:	John Dalling
Date Deposited:	12 Dec 2012 18:38
Last Modified:	05 Apr 2023 11:03
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/275

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