MILTON GLASER DRAWS AND LECTURES
Thanks to C. Coy for recording this over the shoulder peek at Milton Glaser's drawing process and some of his thoughts on drawing, "a fundamental instrument for understanding life."
Milton Glaser has left an indelible mark on the American mind and culture. What Milton Glaser says about drawing —
"I am a great believer in the primacy of drawing as a means of engaging the world and understanding what you’re looking at."and
"I was sitting in front of my mother one night at the age of 17 or 18, and I looked at her and thought, “I’d like to do her portrait.” I’d never done her portrait before. And you know what happens when your mind shifts into drawing mode—you suddenly see something for the first time. And I realized as I decided to draw that I had absolutely no idea what she looked like. The image of her appearance had impressed itself on my mind probably when I was 3 years old, and it hadn’t changed very much. I was able to see her only because I made the decision to draw her."and
"I am a great advocate of drawing, not in order to become an illustrator, but because I believe drawing changes the brain... Drawing also makes you attentive. It makes you pay attention to what you are looking at which is not easy."Read Ten Things I have Learned from Glaser's 2001 AIGA talk.
Milton Glaser mentions in the above video what is now his most recent book — Drawing is Thinking.
I would argue that Drawing is NOT Thinking but be that as it may, the introduction to the book was ultimately written by Judith Thurman.Glaser mentions Frank Wilson who wrote The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture.
I've just started that book. Stay tuned for more on that and Mr. Wilson in future posts.Glaser was recently awarded the 2010 National Medal of Arts. Read the transcript of the presentation.
