The Project
At the heart of this research lies a body of sources that has been largely overlooked in the historical analysis of the twentieth century: hand-drawn visual records, produced on the spot while observing events unfold.
Overshadowed by photography, documentary drawing may seem a curious, marginal phenomenon. However, these images are more widespread than it may appear, and they hold great potential for visual history and interdisciplinary conversations on a theoretical and methodological level.
In addressing questions regarding documentary formats through the lens of drawing raises familiar challenges about subjectivity, affect, and truth, while offering new perspectives.
We consider documentary drawing a social, an aesthetic, and an epistemic practice:
social – exploring the production, function, and circulation of these images within the (mass)media landscapes of the twentieth century. Moreover, biographies as well as the social and professional contexts of the artists and their audiences, such as training and education or institutional networks, reveal a framework for the way documentary drawing is part of a visual dialogue not only about what things look like but also about what happened.
aesthetic – In analysing documentary drawing in the 20th century, temporality and objecthood take on particular relevance, especially with photography, the ever-present counterpoint. We therefore explore drawings in their materiality as well as in their narrative potential. The liminal position between aesthetics and function challenges the fuzzy lines between illustration, representation, and decoration.
epistemic – From the perspective of the history and sociology of knowledge, we ask what kind of knowledge hand-drawn images convey and how this is related to our knowledge. At the same time, considering documentary drawing as an epistemic practice expands our theoretical perspective on the perennial predicament of documentary media caught between art and evidence.
The overarching methodological approach takes its cues from the history of journalism, the cultural history of law and war reporting, as well as more generally the history of media and technology.
In addition, new directions in digital curation that have emerged in archival studies and library sciences are relevant to the practical application in the creation of the database.
The DocDraw20 Blog offers insight into the research and events that happen in and around the project. We also invite guest contributors from across disciplines to share their ideas and to join the conversation.
