III. Formal Portraits. The largest group of drawings is devoted to more formal portraits, many of which would have been commissioned from the artists. A sketch of Cardinal Scipione Borghese by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), for example, is preparatory for a marble bust, while a portrait of Anna van Thielen and her daughter by Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) serves as a study for a painting. Van Thielen was the wife of the Antwerp painter Theodoor Rombouts (1597-1637).
Among the many extraordinary works with a more finished polish is an early drawing by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) depicting Marie Derval, a popular actress in Paris at the turn of the century. The energetic contour of the figure and her frightening stare lend the portrait an expressionist vigor reminiscent of the work of Picasso's contemporary Edvard Munch (1863-1944).
IV. Portraits? Some drawings defy the conventional notion of portraiture. Though resembling portraits in one way or another, they raise the question of what actually constitutes such a work. This section invites visitors to draw their own conclusions and reflect upon traditional boundaries of the genre. The sitter posing for Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), for example, is identified in the inscription. The artist made this impressive life study in preparation for one of several paintings based on Laurence Sterne's 1768 novel, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy by Mr. Yorick. In the episode sketched out, the protagonist meets an old man weeping at the death of his donkey. The inscription reads: "Portrait of / John Stavely / who came from Hert- / fordshire with Mr. French / & sat to Mr. Wright in the character of the old man & his ass in the / Sentimental Journey". But does this identifying text make the drawing a portrait?
And what about Hendrik Goltzius's (1558-1617) staggering Young Man Holding a Skull and a Tulip, executed in 1614? A life-size "fantasy portrait," it is a virtuoso finale to the artist’s series of pen-and-ink drawings in the style of engravings. The Latin inscription "Quis evadet? / Nemo" ("Who escapes? / No one") and the symbols of the hourglass, skull, and tulip serve as a reminder of mortality and the transience of existence. Although the distinctive face was probably based on a young man whom Goltzius knew, the purpose of the drawing seems more to impart the foreboding message than to capture the likeness of the youth.
Drawings
Drawings Online provides the public and specialists with a digital library of over 10,000 images, representing works of art spanning the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries.
For nearly a century, the Morgan Library & Museum has played a leading role in the field of master drawings. All the major European schools are represented in the collection, with particular strengths in Italian, French, British, Dutch, Flemish, and German masters. The collection also includes drawings by American artists as well as a growing number of modern and contemporary works on paper. The Morgan's collection is thus unusual in that it represents, in increasing depth, continuity as well as innovation throughout the entire history of drawing.
Drawings Online aims to provide the public and specialists with a digital library of over 10,000 images, representing works of art spanning the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries. Included are approximately 2,000 images of versos of drawings that contain rarely seen sketches or inscriptions by the artist.
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