Always Learning to See: The Art and Thought of Sargy Mann

Abstract

Sargy Mann (1937–2015) was a British figurative artist who was fascinated by visual perception and the way visual experience can be depicted. He suffered from poor eyesight throughout his life and lost his sight completely at the age of 68. Despite this, he developed ways of using tactile information and measurement to vividly depict the visual world in paint, and his late work is widely regarded as being among his best. This paper introduces some of Mann’s key ideas on art, visual perception, and his research into the way other artists depicted visual experience.