Sylvia Plath Sketches

by Megan Sexton  ·  October 27, 2011

The Observer has posted a selection of Sylvia Plath’s sketches as a preview for the exhibit going on at the Mayor Gallery in London from November 1 until December 17. Of course it would be amazing to see these works in person, but for those of us not living within commuting distance of London, we can make do with these 11 sketches!

Also be sure to check this article in which Frieda Hughes (Sylvia Plath’s daughter) reveals more info about her mother and the exhibit!

A little snippet of the article:

“On 2 November, an exhibition of my mother Sylvia Plath‘s pen- and-ink drawings opens at the Mayor Gallery in Cork Street in London. These pictures were given to me by my father, the late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, who died on 28 October 1998. But they were not my only legacy from my parents, if genetic make-up has anything to do with our inclinations; I have the frequently conflicted desire to write poetry and to draw and paint also. While my parents chose to direct their primary energies into writing, despite their ability as artists, I have found it impossible to do one without the other.

Although my mother is known primarily for her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar and her poetry – particularly her last collection, Ariel, published posthumously in 1965 following her suicide on 11 February 1963 – her passion for art permeated her short life. Her early letters and diary notes and poems were often heavily decorated, and she hoped that her drawings would illustrate the articles and stories that she wrote for publication.”