Master Drawings Close-Up - Brossura

Brooks, Julian

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1606060198 ISBN 13: 9781606060193

Casa editrice: J Paul Getty Museum Pubns, 2010

Riassunto

Through Forty-Five Double Spreads, each with a beautiful enlarged detail, Master Drawings Close-Up simulates the experience of looking at forty-five drawings from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the British Museum through a magnifying glass. This permits us to see the techniques and materials used and to experience the creativity of such artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Durer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Ingres, Goya, Seurat, and Van Gogh---some of the greatest masters of the craft.

The Purpose of this Volume is to introduce the reader to the pleasure of looking at master drawings. Through forty-five double spreads, each with a beautiful enlarged detail, the book simulates the experience of looking at a drawing through a magnifying glass; we can see the techniques and materials used and get close to the artists' creativity. The forty-five drawings included are from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the British Museum. They are roughly ordered by date and were chosen for inclusion because, in addition to yielding beautiful details, they encompass a wide variety of media and techniques. Accompanying short texts highlight particular aspects of each work; italicized technical terms are explained in an accessible and informative Brief Guide to Terms at the back. Works by some of the greatest masters of the craft - Leonardo da Vinci, Durer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Ingres, Goya, Seurat, and Van Gogh - are included.

Master drawings provide the sense of being close to the artist, of seeing inspiration and creativity firsthand. They allow us a glimpse behind the scenes, beyond the final product the artist wanted us to see, enabling us to understand the human struggle involved, false starts and failed ideas included. The centuries of time between us and the artists seem to drop away, and we are there beside them as they work. Most drawings served only a transitory role in the process of preparing to make a painting or other work of art, although some were made as impressive finished works in themselves. While those were carefully preserved, many other sheets were only kept in the artist's workshop because they represented useful tools for future commissions, while still others might have been rescued from the studio floor by an assistant.

The reader will gain insights into why artists made drawings, how they used the media available to them - including red chalk, watercolor, pen and ink, and pastel - and their techniques, such as hatching, stumping squaring and heightening. This beautiful and unpretentious book will have a wide appeal, but will be invaluable for art students, practicing artists, and those who study art and art history.

Works as intimate and beguiling as drawings require only close looking to give enjoyment. To that end this selection of close-up details is presented for the reader's delight and stimulation.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Julian Brooks is associate curator in the Department of Drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Julian Brooks is associate curator in the Department of Drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: J Paul Getty Museum Pubns
• Data di pubblicazione: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1606060198
• ISBN 13: 9781606060193
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 108