Well worth the trip. The displays here are never huge but this was an amazing collection. Having just taken to sketching again and discovered that curves are easier than straight lines, I've become interested in sketching faces. So looking at Sickert's work from a technical point of view made it even more interesting.
Even allowing for the fact that there was a video outlining his grid method, I'm at a loss to see how some of his sketches provided enough information for a finished canvas, the Winston Churchill portrait being a good example.
It was interesting to note that at one point the grid obviously provided mis-information - his 'Old Fiddler' had an area of trouser coloured as the chair! I only wish I was good enough to make the same mistake!
http://www.whitworth.man.ac.uk/index.htm
http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/bio/a3670-1.html
http://emu.man.ac.uk/wagcustom/exhibitions/public/Display.php?irn=782&QueryPage=%2Fwagcustom%2Fexhibitions%2Fpublic%2FQuery.php
