Drawing Closer: Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
On view through September 4, 2022
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, Rhode Island
www.risdmuseum.org
“Drawing Closer” invites us to consider how and why drawings were created, paying special attention to the materials they were made of and to the functions they served both in the artist’s studio and in the world outside it. Seven distinct but interrelated sections explore media and techniques such as pen, chalk, ink wash, and watercolor, as well as some of the traditional purposes of drawing, including observation, invention, preparation, and amusement.
This exhibition brings together 67 works from the RISD Museum’s remarkable collection of European drawings produced between the 1500s and the 1800s—some recently acquired, others never before exhibited. “Drawing Closer” is conceived as a guide to looking at these works from the perspectives of their makers while highlighting the breadth, depth, and variety of a living collection that is used today to teach and inspire students and visitors. The exhibition is accompanied by a free digital publication.
[Image courtesy Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design]
