By: Dr. Ingrid Mida
Some thoughts on drawing
2 m
Apr 30, 2020
Media
Photo Credit
Ingrid Mida
This iPad drawing of a Beetall iron (1992.0254) from the museum’s collection reminds me of the ironing I had to do while sewing non-medical masks for family, friends, and vulnerable neighbours.
In a time of global crisis, the arts can bring us to a place of beauty and reflection.
Henri Matisse once said, “Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.” Drawing — the making of marks on a planar surface — does not require much in the way of supplies or time and helps to lift the fog of anxiety and fear of this particular moment in history. My drawings during lockdown have mostly been inspired by Matisse, whose simplicity of line shows clarity of vision. And while copying another artist might seem merely to be a skill-building exercise, there is also work in the translation to make the drawing my own. My choices are reflective of my mood that day — creating a mirror of my will to find beauty and hope. Drawing, for me, is meditation.
#CuratingUnderQuarantine
Photo Credit
Ingrid Mida
My pencil drawing of Antoinette with Plumed Hat after Matisse was created on a day that I felt reflective and yearned for solace.
Photo Credit
Ingrid Mida
My whimsical ink drawing of chair, clock and lamp with faces was realized on a day that I imagined my furniture in my home office talking to me.
Photo Credit
Ingrid Mida
My pencil drawing of Girl in a Frilly Dress after Matisse expresses the joy that I felt in dressing up for the first time after the stay-at-home order.
Dr. Ingrid Mida
Ingrid E. Mida (PhD, Art History and Visual Culture) is an art historian, dress detective, and curator. She is the author of Reading Fashion in Art (Bloomsbury 2020) and the co-author of The Dress Detective (Bloomsbury 2015). She has written scholarly chapters and articles on fashion and art, as well as drawing as a research method. She is an advocate for drawing as a way of seeing more keenly.
