Georges Seurat - Seated Youth, Study for 'Bathers at Asnières', 1883
"Drawing is not what one sees but what one can make others see." - Edgar Degas
Drawing as a practice is integral to all disciplines in the field of art and design, whether it be a quick, rough sketch to capture an idea or scene in the instant of the moment, or whether it be a more prolonged, studied observation. There have been a couple of other exhibitions in central London recently which have made the skill of drawing central to the main focus of the exhibition, such as sculptures of George Baselitz at Serpentine South (here), and the portraits on paper at Thaddaeus Ropac gallery. This wonderful show at the Royal Academy puts the spotlight on drawings from the Impressionist era in nineteenth-century France, when drawings were beginning not solely to be perceived as preparatory studies for works on canvas, but as artworks to rank alongside paintings and sculpture in their own right. Scientific developments of the period saw the manufacture of new materials and therefore techniques for artists to combine and experiment with in their work, leading to new ways of expression for these artists. Some of the effects and results can be seen at this exhibition. Perhaps leading the way in the exhibition are the drawings of Edgar Degas. The peerless studies of dancers and women at their toilet are beautifully observed and captured in his medium of choice - pastels. One can see how the large studies of women at their toilet would be influential for and instrumental in the development of the work artists such as his contemporary artist Federico Zandomeneghi and future twentieth century artists such as Paula Rego. A calmer, more contemplative mood is captured in the atmospheric, reflective drawings of Georges Seurat who worked almost exclusively with Conté crayon. Another stand-out is a study of thistles by Vincent van Gogh executed in his signature dashes and dots of ink, and an intimidating portrait study of what looks to be a very formidable woman in black by Toulouse Lautrec. All of the drawings here are wonderfully observed and executed. The show includes many familiar crowd pleasers as well as lesser known examples by artists who have since fallen under the radar.
Edgar Degas - Dancer Yawning, (Dancer Stretching), detail, 1873
Albert Lebourg - The Artist's Wife and Mother-in-Law reading a Letter by Candlelight, c. 1878-79
Jean-Louis Forain - Walking in the Snow, c. 1885-88
Edgar Degas - Two Dancers, 1878-79
Edgar Degas - A Seated Jockey, Facing Right, 1880-82
Edgar Degas - Lyda, Woman with a pair of Binoculars, 1866-68
Edgar Degas - Dancer Seen from Behind, 1873
Edgar Degas - Dancer Yawning, (Dancer Stretching), 1873
Edgar Degas - Two Dancers Resting, c. 1880
Edgar Degas - Woman at a Window, 1870-71
Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Woman with a Veil, c. 1877-79
Jean-Louis Forain - Dance Card, c. 1888
Jacques-Emile Blanche - Portrait of Madame Henri Wallet, 1887
Paul Cézanne - Academic Study of a Male Nude With His Right Hand Clenched Across His Chest, c. 1867-70
Vincent van Gogh - The Fortifications of Paris with Houses, 1887
Claude Monet - Cliffs at Etretat: The Needle Rock and Porte d'Aval, c. 1885
Claude Monet - Cliffs at Etretat: The Manneport at Low Tide, c. 1885
Georges Seurat - The Gleaner, c. 1882
Georges Seurat - Seated Youth, Study for 'Bathers at Asnières', 1883
Paul Gauguin - Head of a Tahitian Woman, 1892
Paul Gauguin - Landscape in Martinique, 1887 and Soyes amoureuses vous serez heureuses (Be in Love and You Will , 1894
Paul Gauguin - Landscape in Martinique, 1887
Paul Gauguin - Head of a Breton Woman, 1894
Vincent van Gogh - Peasant woman Carrying Wheat in Her Apron, July-August 1885
Federico Zandomeneghi - Waking Up, 1895
Edgar Degas - Dancers on a Bench, c. 1898
Edgar Degas - Woman Combing Her Hair, c. 1887-90
Edgar Degas - After the Bath, Woman Drying Herself, c. 1890-95
Edgar Degas - Two Dancers, c. 1891
Paul Cézanne - Study of Trees, c. 1888-90
Paul Cézanne - Flowerpots on the Terrace of the Artist's Studio at Les Lauves , c. 1902-06
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec - At the Circus: The Encore, 1899
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec - Two Friends, 1895
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec - Woman with a Black Boa, 1892
until 10th March
Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly
London
W1J
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