Abstract
Drawing played a central role in the formation of
David Wilkie's style. His painting style underwent
a striking alteration at the very height of his popularity, and this has led to much discussion among critics,
both at the time and at the present day. A study of
the drawings provides some of the answers to these
problems posed by the paintings, and shows Wilkie's
development to have been both continuous and consistent.
The catalogue lists several hundred of these drawings,
and provides a rough chronological framework whereby
Wilkie's development as an artist can be studied. The
Thesis identifies three main periods during which
Wilkie acquired new powers as a draughtsman. The first
was the formative period during which he learned the
grammar of his profession (1799 - 1811); the second
began with his increasing awareness of the works of
Rubens, and culminated in his studies in Europe
between 1825 and 1828; finally the drawings made on
Wilkie's last journey in the East show him attempting
a style suitable for Biblical subjects.
