Uses of Drawings
First thoughts: Drawing is an ideal way to begin conceptualizing a work of art.
This drawing by Salvator Rosa was eventually worked into a print of the classical story
of Polycrates, a cruel tyrant who was killed and displayed crucified after death by his
enemies. This drawing focuses on the central image of Polycrates and the crowd that
gathers beneath the tree upon which he is suspended. There are a number of visible
pentimenti (changes or alternate versions of the scene) including two versions of the
crucified figure on the left side of the sheet.
Salvator Rosa. The Crucifixion of Polycrates, c. 1661. Pen and brown ink over graphite.
Preparatory or preliminary study: A drawing which is used in the creation of a
more finished composition. A preparatory study may differ from the final work, and
may focus on the entire composition or only a section. For example, this drawing by
Correggio shows a portion of the painted cupola in San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma,
although the pose of the apostles and cupids depicted here is quite different from the
final version in the cupola.
Coreggio (Antonio Allegri). Two Apostles with Putti on Clouds, 1520/1522. Red chalk.
Figure studies: Figure studies were often created to refine the pose or appearance of
people to be depicted in paintings after the composition was mostly worked out. For
example, this study by Francesco Vanni explores a range of postures and costumes.
These figures were probably drawn from posed models in the artist’s studio and were
to be used to investigate the fall of light and drapery.
Francesco Vanni. Three Figures, c. 1600. Red chalk.
Presentation drawing (see also Modello): Presentation drawings formed an
important part of the commissioning process, allowing the patron to weigh in on the
final composition. This drawing by Giorgio Vasari was made when the was hired by
Onofrio Camaiani (1517–1574) to create a painting for his family chapel in the church
of the Pieve in Arezzo. The work includes images of the patron saints of Camaiani and
his wife, Caterina Albergotti kneeling in the foreground. The words “in piedi” (standing)
indicate that the donor wished to have the saints depicted standing erect; the saints also
occupied reversed sides in the final composition.
Giorgio Vasari. The Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine, Onofrio, Jerome, and Ivo, 1568. Pen and brown ink with
brown wash over black chalk.
Uses of Drawings
Modello: A highly finished drawing reflecting the final composition. Modelli were
used to assess the final composition, to delegate parts of the work to members of the
workshop, or as “presentation drawings” to show to patrons either to confirm or win
a commission.
Denys Calvaert. The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine. Pen and brown ink, with brown wash, heightened with
opaque white, over black chalk, on light brown paper; framing line in dark brown ink.
Transferring a drawing to a painting: There are several ways to transfer a
drawing to another surface. Squaring, as seen in this drawing by Santi di Tito, employs
a drawn grid to allow the artist to copy and enlarge the design in small pieces to another
surface for painting. A drawing may also be pricked, meaning that small holes are poked
through the lines of the drawing, which is then laid on another surface and pounced (i.e.
pigment is dabbed along the lines of the drawing, and thus, through the holes onto the
surface beneath).
Santi di Tito. The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1580s. Verso: Pen and brown ink with brown wash over black chalk
and stylus indications, squared in brown ink.
Independent work of art: Sometimes drawings are created with no other use in
mind except the artist’s and viewer’s enjoyment. This chalk landscape by Thomas
Gainsborough, for example, does not relate to any known paintings by the artist.
Thomas Gainsborough. Wooded Landscape with a Stream, mid-1780s. Black and white chalk on gray-blue paper.
Portrait: Painted portraits were enormously expensive and time-consuming to make,
so often artists would produce portrait drawings as an alternative. These could either be
made as gifts or to supplement the artist’s income. This double portrait of the artist and
his wife by Ingres, for example, was made as a gift for friends, and it follows a style of
portrait-drawing that the artist used to earn money while he was studying in Rome.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Madeleine Ingres with the Artist, 1830. Graphite.
Copy (ricordo): There are various reasons why an artist might wish to make a ricordo:
to be kept in the studio as a model for future paintings or prints, to serve as a gift to a
fellow artist or patron, or to capitalize on a popular image.
Federico Barocci. Madonna Reading, with the Christ Child on Her Lap; verso, Torso of a Bearded Man, 1568/80.
Black and red chalk with pink, light blue, yellow, orange, and brown-red pastel on gray-blue paper.