‘Any fool can paint, but drawing is the thing and drawing is the test. If you are a good draughtsman you are ipso facto a good painter’ – Walter Sickert.

The drawings included in this publication reveal the working practice of Walter Sickert (1860–1942), an artist considered by many the ‘father’ of modern British art. Sickert was a prolific draughtsman throughout his career and used his drawings as preparatory works for his paintings. Drawn from nature, his sketches capture the intricacies of architectures, the infectious thrill of performance, and even the nuances of a subject’s character. Sickert frequently visited locations again and again, investing long periods of time in locations to detail certain elements or even redraw entire views. In doing so, he was able to develop ideas and concepts before an image was possibly transferred to canvas.

As a mentor and teacher to a younger generation of artists he also attempted to teach the use of preparatory drawings to his protégés, steering the course of arts practice in Britain. Stored in Tate’s collection and archive, this selection of drawings not only serve as a record of Sickert’s creative process but express his engagement with the world around him, both in Britain and abroad.