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Like millions of others, Andrew Marr draws. He hasn't had lessons, yet since childhood, the journalist and TV presenter has been at his happiest with a pen or brush in his hand. One way or another he draws most days, even if it's just a doodle on the edge of a newspaper. But why does he do it? Does it have a point? And in what way, if any, does this activity of his relate to what we think of as 'art'? In this intriguing new book, Andrew Marr explores the subject of drawing and painting through his own experience. He considers the mechanics of the drawing process - the act of making and its importance for a happy life - along with the ways in which good drawing or painting can make us think harder and see the world differently. He also investigates the tensions between drawing as concentrated work and drawing as an expression of freedom or play, and looks at the historical differences between drawing and fine art as well as how drawing fits into today's art world.
Black artists have been making major contributions to the British art scene for decades, since at least the mid-twentieth century. Sometimes these artists were regarded and embraced as practitioners of note. At other times they faced challenges of visibility - and in response they collaborated and made their own exhibitions and gallery spaces. In this book, Eddie Chambers tells the story of these artists from the 1950s onwards, including recent developments and successes. Black Artists in British Art makes a major contribution to British art history. Beginning with discussions of the pioneering generation of artists such as Ronald Moody, Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling, Chambers candidly discusses the problems and progression of several generations, including contemporary artists such as Steve McQueen, Chris Ofili and Yinka Shonibare. Meticulously researched, this important book tells the fascinating story of practitioners who have frequently been overlooked in the dominant history of twentieth-century British art.