Drawing things together

It’s good to see drawings back in the temporary exhibition scene this year, following on from the British Museum’s wonderful ‘Italian Renaissance Drawings’ show in 2010. The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has an exhibition of ‘Highlights from the Collection,’ showcasing the stars of their drawings collection, including new acquisitions. The drawings are nicely displayed and interpreted, and manage to give a whistle-stop tour of art history while also show casing some beautiful pieces. Their Raphaels are all out and looking impressive, but I was particularly struck by the simple charm of Tiepolo’s drawings of buildings and donkeys, used normally to his expansive church paintings. These stood out especially as I visited on one of the Fitz’s new late night initiatives –  ‘Shadows and Lights’ evenings – when they open late, and at which they lit the Medieval painting gallery by candle light. This gave a wonderful sense of the dark, brooding sense in which the paintings would have been seen, but also made a visually stimulating contrast to the light, expressive drawings.

The Royal Academy in London is, similarly, showcasing an exhibition of Watteau drawings in their Sackler Rooms. I am rarely disappointed by an RA exhibition, particularly ones in this their smaller display space, which seems to encourage particularly tight and effective curatorial practice. The Watteau show is no exception. Focusing on his prolific output of chalk drawings they give the viewer a real sense of the materiality of the drawings, and of the skill behind his fresh and engaging scenes. I left with a real sense of his flair, but also of the drawings as fragile but exquisite objects. As seemingly with every gallery the drawings that caught my imagination were not reproduced as postcards, but it may be that this allows them to feed into my memory more effectively.