Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by Howard Tangye. It dates from 1974 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Untitled is a drawing by Howard Tangye, a renowned artist, designer, and educator in the fashion world. The work exemplifies Tangye's expertise in traditional figure and portrait studies, which underpin his approach to fashion drawing.
Subject & Meaning
The subject of Untitled is not explicitly stated, but the drawing likely captures a moment or gesture from life, highlighting the capacity of drawing to convey nuances unrecorded by photography. It emphasizes texture, detail, colour, and materiality.
Technique & Style
Tangye employs a distinctive technique in Untitled, characterized by a decisive line and bold, richly layered applications of oil pastel, pencil, chalk, and possibly other media, creating dynamic and expressive compositions.
History & Provenance
Detailed provenance for Untitled is not provided. However, the work aligns with Tangye's broader practice of drawing from life, informed by his education at St. Martin’s School of Art and Parsons School of Design, and his experiences drawing for prominent fashion designers.
Context
Untitled reflects Tangye's contribution to the intersection of traditional art practices and contemporary fashion. His work bridges the gap between fine art techniques and the demands of fashion illustration, influenced by mentors like Elizabeth Suter and Barbara Pearlman.
Legacy
Through Untitled and his overall body of work, Tangye influences a new generation of designers and artists, including notable alumni like John Galliano, Stella McCartney, and Christopher Kane, by demonstrating the enduring value of drawing in fashion.
Artist & collection
Artist
Howard Tangye’s drawings fill the page with spare, rhythmic lines. The two works here—both untitled—date from the 1970s and show a hand that moves quickly, leaving flat fields of hatching and occasional empty loops that…
