Tom Cubitt has mastered the art of movement in his theatrical drawings

In a world dominated by short form videos and ‘content’, our screens are over-saturated with movement and action that often offers very little. Tom Cubitt’s illustrations are the embodied contradiction of this phenomena. His sinuous moments of movement are, in fact, entirely static – but their detail and flair offers so much; they’re a perfect insight into the seemingly boundless potential of the pencil.

This fascination with movement arose from Tom’s recent focus on performance and collective moments of theatricality. “I’m drawn to patterns of movement – such as a choreographed ballet or a dance routine – but also quieter, more contemplative moments that I see as stills from a theatre performance,” he says. While he recognises that these moments are often “intimate” he also plays on the fact that these moments “often carry a sense of artificiality” too. A key influence for Tom is Paula Rego, an artist renowned for the uncompromising perspective and dedication to artifice, but also her depiction of movement, like her famous 1988 work The Dance. Though Tom has been particularly drawn to her ballet series, Dancing Ostriches, which draws on the 1940 Disney film, Fantasia.

The method Tom has developed typically involves a “slow and meticulous process of layering colours, building up textures to create depth and atmosphere”. Tom says that this process is one that allows for improvisation, often resulting in works that hint at otherworldly, abstract environments – “like backdrops to an imagined stage production”. This dedication to precision, environment and space could be rooted in Tom’s previous creative endeavours – he’s a qualified architect; though in recent years he’s been focusing more heavily on his artistic practice and completing The Royal Drawing School’s drawing year programme last December.