John Willats Explained

John Willats
Occupation:	Psychologist, Sculptor
Workplaces:	Loughborough UniversityUniversity of BirminghamPolytechnic of East London
Alma Mater:	Royal College of Art

John Willats (died April 2006)^[1] was a psychologist and artist known for his research on pictorial systems of depiction and perspective, which included a taxonomy of the methods of visual projection used by various artists.^[2] He was considered an expert on children's drawings and how children develop drawing abilities.^[3]

Biography

Willats studied sculpture at the Royal College of Art. He had degrees in mechanical sciences and psychology. He worked under the supervision of Richard Wollheim at London University.^[4] He was teaching sculpture and drawing at Walthamstow School of Art when along with Fred Dubery, he published his first book, Drawing Systems^[5] Willats was an Honorary Research Fellow at the Polytechnic of East London^[6] and was an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Birmingham.^[7] He was a professor at Loughborough University.

In 2000, Willats completed a sculpture celebrating the millennium in a former hometown of Bradford-on-Avon, England. The sculpture is a life-sized representation of a mill girl, known as "Millie", that celebrates the town's history.^[8]

Research

In Perspective and other drawing systems (1983), Willats and Dubery defined formal categories for pictorial systems, which they called projection systems.^{[9] [10]} Willats posited that people have an innate capability to understand the grammar of pictorial depictions, which is related to Chomsky's theory of universal grammar.^[11] In Making sense of children's drawings, Willats proposed that children learn drawing in a manner comparable to language learning, by picking up increasingly complex rules of depiction.

Books

• Dubery, F. & Willats, J. (1972). Drawing systems. Studio Vista.
• Dubery, F. & Willats, J. (1983). Perspective and other drawing systems. The Hubert Press.
• Willats, J. (1997). Art and representation: New principles in the analysis of pictures. Princeton University Press.
• Willats, J. (2006). Making sense of children's drawings. Psychology Press.

Representative papers

• Willats, J. (1977). How children learn to draw realistic pictures. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 29(3), 367–382.
• Willats, J. (1981). What do the marks in the picture stand for? The child's acquisition of systems of transformation and denotation. Review of Research in Visual Arts Education, 7(1), 18-33.
• Willats, J. (1987). Marr and pictures: an information-processing account of children's drawings. Archives de Psychologie, 55(213), 105-125.
• Willats, J. (1992). The representation of extendedness in children's drawings of sticks and discs. Child Development, 63(3), 692-710.
• Willats, J., & Durand, F. (2005). Defining pictorial style: Lessons from linguistics and computer graphics. Axiomathes, 15(3), 319-351.

Notes and References

1. Web site: TRACEY - Ambiguity - Willats. 2021-03-04. www.lboro.ac.uk.
2. Smith. Paul. 2013. Cézanne's "Primitive" Perspective, or the "View from Everywhere". The Art Bulletin. 95. 1. 102–119. 10.1080/00043079.2013.10786108 . 43188797 . 193212184 . 0004-3079.
3. Riley. Howard. 2009. Towards a Syntax of Visual Delight: The Tension between Surface Qualities and Illusory Depth in Drawing. TRACEY: Education.
4. Tormey. Jane. Whale. George. 2002. On Drawing, Visual Language and the Pictorial Image: An Interview with John Willats. International Journal of Art & Design Education. en. 21. 3. 292–302. 10.1111/1468-5949.00326. 1476-8070.
5. Book: Willats, John. Making sense of children's drawings. 2005. L. Erlbaum Associates. 1-4106-1356-9. Mahwah, N.J.. 70787938.
6. Willats. John. 1992. The Representation of Extendedness in Children's Drawings of Sticks and Discs. Child Development. 63. 3. 692–710. 10.2307/1131355. 1131355 . 1376228 . 0009-3920.
7. Book: Willats, John. Art and representation : new principles in the analysis of pictures. 1997. Princeton University Press. 0-691-08737-7. Princeton, N.J.. 35397908.
8. Web site: Geograph:: 'Millie', Bradford on Avon © Humphrey Bolton. 2021-03-04. www.geograph.org.uk. en.
9. Freeman. Norman. 1985-11-01. Book Review: Perspective and Other Drawing Systems. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A. en. 37. 4. 639–641. 10.1080/14640748508400924d. 31 January 2024 . 0272-4987.
10. Greene. Richard. 1984. Review of Perspective and Other Drawing Systems. Leonardo. 17. 1. 61. 10.2307/1574884. 1574884 . 0024-094X.
11. Smith. Paul. 2011. Pictorial Grammar: Chomsky, John Willats, and the Rules of Representation. Art History. en. 34. 3. 562–593. 10.1111/j.1467-8365.2011.00835.x.