The Power of Drawing : Marking 25 Years of the Royal Drawing School

Charming exhibition at the Royal Drawing School marking its 25th anniversary.

The show featured drawings by artists from across a variety of fields including most of the big names in contemporary art. Each drawing had a thoughtful quote by the artist often about what drawing means to them. 

I loved this gentle still live by Jony Ive and it’s always good to see an Antony Gormley. It was fun to include a ‘wire drawing’ by Cornelia Parker as well as a drawing by King Charles III and a drawing of him by Eileen Hogan.

I think my favourite aspect was the quotes so I include a selection of them here.

Closed 26 July 2025


Review

Telegraph

Quotes

“Drawing is a language I feel I can speak and understand, more than words. With a piece of paper and something as simple as a pencil we can chart, discover, explain and inform, we can create a surprising magic: maps, emotions, illusions and history. A universal language that doesn't need translation." 

Ishbel Myerscough

 

“Drawing from life and the world around me constantly offers new memories to access, filling the pool of the subconscious…”

William Brickel

 

 “(Drawings) are immediate expressions of a thought.They are notes to myself giving body to an idea."

Jony Ive 


 

"For me, drawing is a fundamental access point to seeing. Through drawing, you can cut through the fluff, expectation, and noise to access something true.“

Jake Grewal 

 

"Drawing makes you see things clearer, and clearer, and clearer still. The image is passing through you in a physiological way, into your brain, into your memory-where it stays-it's transmitted by your hands... it's a deep, deep desire to—depict."

David Hockney 

 

"Drawing is, on one hand, a completely unsophisticated, wordless, and basic human language. On the other, it is the most intellectually challenging, evocative, and surprising activity I've ever done.“

Fraser Scarfe 


 

“Drawing gets things off your chest that you didn't know you had on your chest.”

Ned Elliott

 

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