The Hand of the Artist: Selected European Drawings from the 16th through the 18th Centuries

January 30 through August 22, 2010

The Hand of the Artist: Selected European Drawings from the 16th through the 18th Centuries presents drawings amassed by a local collector who has made a promised gift of the collection. These works represent examples from Italy, France and Northern Europe by artists such as Annibale Carracci, Bibiena, Lebrun, Greuze, and Moses Ter Borch. Drawings have long fascinated scholars and collectors because the interplay of lines and colors allow the viewer to contemplate the artist’s intention. Regardless of the locale, drawing was an essential tool for artists as a preliminary step in their creative expression. The study of the human figure, a view of nature, or the interior of an architectural space in pen, ink, or chalk provided a method to formulate elements that might be used in a later work of art. In the process, the immediacy of the artist’s hand remains on the page and can be appreciated by the outlines on the paper. This exhibition is curated by Barbara Laux, former Registrar of the museum and generously funded by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Prudential Connecticut Realty.