Walter Oltmann Drawing

The Oxford Dictionary defines drawing as to, “produce (a picture or diagram) by making lines and marks on paper with a pencil, pen, etc.” The boundaries of this traditional definition of drawing, however have begun to be pushed by conceptual artists who look rather to see drawing in the way that Henri Matisse did, as: “the precision of thought,” thus expanding the definition of drawing to encompass unconventional drawings that may be three-dimensional or created on surfaces other than paper with marks being made in mediums that range from carbon smoke, to wire and thread. This added element of alternativeness can have a variety of effects on the way the work is perceived and interpreted by the viewer – in the case of Walter Oltmann - one being the heightening of the concept portrayed by the work. This element of his works is what has inspired me to push the boundaries of drawing in my own work.

Walter Oltmann’s aluminum wire drawings Mother and Child has been created using the technique of hand crocheting the wire to create lace-like, delicate marks that are layered to create tonal variety and form. (Goodman Gallery, 2012, http://www.goodman-gallery.com/artists/walteroltmann) In the case of this drawing, this technique has been used to create a large-scale image of mother and child skeleton figures nestled in a harmonious and balanced, floating halo-like bed of interconnected lace. Although the crocheting of the wire has resulted in a shallowly three-dimensional image, when considered in relation to the The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of drawing , Mother and Child can be seen to fall under it. The composition has been created by assembling a series of “marking lines and marks,” using wire to create tonal variety and forms, a...

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...” would not have been possible if my series of drawing had been created traditionally in charcoal or graphite – thus by pushing the boundaries of Oxfords definition of drawing, while still creating this work as a drawing composed of marking lines, I have sharpened an idea and enhanced my idea that nothing of me is original.

In recognizing the varying definition of drawing, it can be seen that I have chosen to push the boundaries of drawing, and in doing so, have heightened the concept of ordinary extraordinary connections in my work. Similarly it can be seen that Walter Oltmann, who’s works were a source of creative inspiration for my own creative process has also effectively pushed the boundaries of the traditional definition of drawing and, in doing so, has emphasized and brought interest to his concepts of evolution and interchange of cultures in South Africa.