Artwork

Iah

Iah, by Alison Lambert, 6
Iah, by Alison Lambert, 6

Iah is a drawing by Alison Lambert. It dates from 6 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

The work Iah reflects her evolving approach, where the figure emerges through accumulation and erosion rather than direct observation.

Alison Lambert creates large-scale drawings that explore the physical and psychological presence of the human form. Her process is iterative and tactile, involving repeated layering and removal of materials to build depth and texture. Rather than depicting individuals, she seeks to express broader conditions of human existence. The work Iah reflects her evolving approach, where the figure emerges through accumulation and erosion rather than direct observation.

Subject & Meaning

The title Iah, referencing an ancient Egyptian lunar deity, suggests themes of cyclical change and quiet endurance. Lambert avoids traditional portraiture, instead aiming to capture the essence of being human—vulnerable, layered, and transient. The figure in the drawing is not a specific person but a composite, assembled from multiple visual sources. This abstraction invites contemplation of identity as something constructed, not fixed.

Technique & Style

Lambert constructs her drawings through a labor-intensive process of adding and subtracting materials. Black charcoal and pastel are applied, then partially obscured with collaged paper to reclaim white space. She further alters the surface using chisels, sandpaper, and knives, carving into the paper to reveal underlying layers. The resulting texture is dense and sculptural, emphasizing the physicality of the medium and the persistence of the act of making.

History & Provenance

Lambert studied at Leek and Coventry Schools of Art and has exhibited extensively since the 1990s. Since 1999, her work has been represented by the Jill George Gallery in London. Her method has drawn comparisons to Frank Auerbach’s process of reworking surfaces to uncover form. Unlike many contemporary artists, she does not work from live models, relying instead on accumulated photographic references to construct her compositions.

Context

Lambert’s practice emerges within a tradition of figurative drawing that prioritizes material process over realism. Her use of layered, altered paper aligns with postwar European approaches that treat the drawing as an object rather than a representation. The choice of an Egyptian lunar name situates her work within a broader interest in myth and time, contrasting with the immediacy of contemporary image culture.

Legacy

Lambert’s work contributes to a renewed focus on drawing as a medium of endurance and revision. Her insistence on physical transformation—cutting, scraping, rebuilding—challenges the notion of the drawing as a finished image. By embedding time and labor into the surface, she redefines the figure not as a subject to be captured, but as a presence to be excavated.

Artist & collection

Artist

Alison Lambert

Alison Lambert’s notebooks are full of lines that won’t sit still. The artist sketches on the go, tracing shapes that blur between city and sky, always half a step ahead of the paper. One sheet from 2014 shows a tower…