Author Description

This beautifully illustrated book is an informative and fascinating chronological survey of Australian drawing since 1770. Defining a drawing as "any unique work on paper", Sayer examines a wide range of them in relation to the social influences of the period in which they were created, the genre and the medium, and discusses stylistic changes and changes in perception such as in the many "revivals" that drawing has experienced since the 1920's. He also provides drawings of natural history, Aborigines and landscape, portraits, scenes of contemporary life of the 1850's, decorative drawing, watercolors, and examples of surrealistic techniques.