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This book aims to take the reader on a journey through the history of the art of drawing. As the pages advance, one can appreciate the evolution of Western art from the Late Middle Ages to the present day, as each chapter gives a visual account of the different artistic tendencies that coexisted in every century, with a generous selection of the great masters of each period. Every chapter is accompanied by a text written by a contemporary theorist or artist, in order to give the reader a better understanding of each period’s concerns and approaches to art in general, and to drawing in particular.
An extract from John Ruskin’s The Elements of Drawing, first published in 1857, has been chosen as the general introduction to this history of Western drawing. The focus, however, has not been placed on his detailed descriptions of how to practise the art of the line with the pen or pencil, or how to apply shade and colour. It may be of more interest to the reader to know the author’s recommendations and warnings for those who desire to become artists. What is interesting about Ruskin is that he acts as a kind of link between the traditional and modern approaches to art. It is very possible that Ruskin may not, today, sound very modern; his sometimes strict recommendations seem to contradict the contemporary notion of absolute creative freedom. But while he retains many values of traditional art, Ruskin was also a champion of modern figures such as Turner and the Pre-Raphaelites at a time when it was not fashionable to be so, especially of the latter.
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75. Andrea del Verrocchio, 1435–1488, Italian, Head of an Angel, c. 1470. Black pencil, pen and ink on paper, 20.9 × 18.1 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Early Renaissance.
76. Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi), 1448/1449-1494, Italian, Head of a Woman, date unknown. Silverpoint and white lead on watermarked white paper, 33.1 × 25.4 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Early Renaissance.
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