Book review: Blackstock’s collections: The drawings of an Artistic Savant by Gregory L. Blackstock
Published by Princeton Architectural Press
What a wonderful book this is. Gregory L. Blackstock is a retired pot washer, and an autistic artistic savant. His drawings are visual lists making order out of the chaos around him. With pencils and crayons he obsessively and lovingly draws variations of common everyday subjects. He has been called an anthropologist of the everyday. He is obviously an interesting charactor, also having talent with music and language and can be seen in and around his neighbourhood playing the accordian.
His art was first ‘discovered’, in his late 50’s, when his cousin sent some samples to a local gallery who was interested in outsider art (refers to works by those outside of mainstream society. The term Outsider Art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for Art Brut (which literally translates as “Raw Art” or “Rough Art”), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane asylum inmates. link) Karen and her husband from Garde Rail Gallery say that working with Gregory has been the high point of their galleries existence.
When I first saw this book I was awestruck by the intense detail and variety that can be found in objects that most people would not be able to, or be bothered to, see the difference in. The cover image of the crows in a perfect example, I love gazing at all the varieties and delight in them. I really found the tools incredible, The Saws and The Knives, and the way he names them all, almost scientifically, yet also sort of child like, but not like any child could draw. I love the intricate knots and the roof types, really so fantastic.
An inspirational book, making me want to draw and draw and look and look. Really wonderful.
