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Lot Essay
Throughout the 1960s Vaughan consciously expanded both his vision and his technique as an artist so as to stay abreast of emerging new ideas in British art; he was keen to experiment and began to explore new drawing media. For example, he made a small series of innovative charcoal drawings inspired by the working methods of some of his young students, in particular Mario Dubsky (1934-85) with whom he eventually developed a close but stormy relationship. Dubsky, perhaps Vaughan’s most accomplished pupil, drew large charcoal figures and these impressed and intrigued Vaughan, inspiring him to produce his own. These are among some of his finest and most original drawings. Dubsky recalled demonstrating for his teacher how charcoal was capable of producing a wide vocabulary of marks. He explained to Vaughan how to rub and blend charcoal to achieve subtle tonal gradations and rich, velvety effects and how to use an eraser to create flashing highlights.
He persisted with this new drawing medium and even discovered a particular hand-made linen paper with a high tooth, which helped him achieve the best results. Despite successfully expanding his graphic range, Vaughan was also becoming painfully aware of the importance of developing his art in the face of the up-and-coming new generation of artists: 'I did one large charcoal drawing and several small ones - (in fact I did as much if not more yesterday) … The crux of the problem really is that I am facing at last the reality of my situation. All the romantic illusions which carried me through the past crises are over. I must come to terms with the facts or perish. In my work as in my life. Hence the difficulties in everything' (Keith Vaughan, unpublished journal entry, 31 July 1962).
Eight of the charcoal drawings were exhibited in the Whitechapel Gallery retrospective in 1962. Vaughan selected this particular example to adorn the front cover of the exhibition catalogue. The subject of a male figure isolated in a landscape setting is a quintessential Vaughan subject.
We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings, author of Drawing to a Close: The Final Journals of Keith Vaughan (Pagham Press) and Keith Vaughan: The Photographs (Pagham Press), for preparing this catalogue entry. He is currently working on a book concerning Keith Vaughan's life and work in Essex.
He persisted with this new drawing medium and even discovered a particular hand-made linen paper with a high tooth, which helped him achieve the best results. Despite successfully expanding his graphic range, Vaughan was also becoming painfully aware of the importance of developing his art in the face of the up-and-coming new generation of artists: 'I did one large charcoal drawing and several small ones - (in fact I did as much if not more yesterday) … The crux of the problem really is that I am facing at last the reality of my situation. All the romantic illusions which carried me through the past crises are over. I must come to terms with the facts or perish. In my work as in my life. Hence the difficulties in everything' (Keith Vaughan, unpublished journal entry, 31 July 1962).
Eight of the charcoal drawings were exhibited in the Whitechapel Gallery retrospective in 1962. Vaughan selected this particular example to adorn the front cover of the exhibition catalogue. The subject of a male figure isolated in a landscape setting is a quintessential Vaughan subject.
We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings, author of Drawing to a Close: The Final Journals of Keith Vaughan (Pagham Press) and Keith Vaughan: The Photographs (Pagham Press), for preparing this catalogue entry. He is currently working on a book concerning Keith Vaughan's life and work in Essex.