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Vitamin D, the second book in Phaidon’s ‘Vitamin’ series, concerns contemporary drawing. Its excellent introduction acknowledges our primal connection with drawing as our earliest and most immediate form of image making. It relates the history of drawing from cave paintings to the revival it has enjoyed since the 1990s. 

Often ignored as simply being a technical process, a means to an end for traditionally ‘higher’ art forms such as painting or sculpture, drawing is shown to be a significant and relevant medium. The inclusive definition of drawing outlined in the introduction spans a broad spectrum of what drawing can be, from pencil sketches to graffiti. In terms of theory, the focus in Vitamin D is not only on discussions around the conceptual and process-orientated nature of drawing, but also on more esoteric themes such as the connection of drawing with magic.
 
Featured in alphabetical order are the works of 109 artists who engage principally with drawing as a medium. These contemporary artists explore the special qualities associated with the medium and demonstrate the intricacy, diversity and importance of the practice of drawing today.

Simple yet elegant, Vitamin D works both as a comprehensive and highly informative survey of drawing today and as an art object in itself. Extending beyond the traditional image associated with this medium, the book is a resource that gives a precise overview of drawing today. With hundreds of illustrations accompanied by mini-essays on each artist and their work, Vitamin D is a key work for any art library.

 - Katrine Claasens

Keywords: David-Krut, Drawing, Education, International, review