Master Drawings from the Yale University Art Gallery

October 4, 2007 – January 6, 2008

Whether made as preparatory studies or stand-alone works, drawings offer an intimate glimpse at an artist's personality and talents. They reward close examination for their insight into the various stages of the creative process.

This exhibition, organized by the Yale University Art Gallery and traveling to the Smart Museum of Art, provided a compelling survey of European draftsmanship, with masterworks by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Edgar Degas, Guercino, Jacob Jordaens, and Jean-Antoine Watteau, among many others. The selections came from the Yale University Art Gallery’s substantial collection of European drawings and included examples of nearly every artistic movement and drawing technique used by European artists from the Renaissance to the mid-nineteenth century.

Organized chronologically, the works represented all types of drawings—not only finished sheets, but also studies for paintings and other preparatory works meant for a variety of purposes. While tracing the history of European drawings, the exhibition showcased the distinguished collection of the Yale University Art Gallery.