The importance of medium specificity in writing and drawing

The intent of this essay is to consider the relationship between writing and drawing. The article will take a critical look at a set of propositions from the discourse on drawing which discuss the common ground shared by the two mediums. It will begin by considering how the modes were interlaced within Mel Bochner’s 1966 Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to Be Viewed as Art, and then turn its attention to ideas from such figures as Hélène Cixous and Taro Amano. By addressing questions such as both mediums’ allegiances in thought, form and the making of meaning, the hope is to suggest that within similarity there is still room for difference. The article will conclude by touching upon the work of Hanne Darboven to propose that the awareness of difference creates distinct ways to use both mediums to powerful effect.