Head of Bearded Man (recto); Head of a Girl (verso) 1503 - 1540

Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli created this drawing of a bearded man with red chalk and graphite in the 16th century. The nature of drawing allows an artist to render the subtleties of line, shadow, and texture. Here, Bedoli carefully worked and reworked the marks on the page to create shading and depth with both the red chalk and graphite. We can see the different layers of material as the artist built up the forms of the man's face. The drawing is small and intimate, and we can observe the artist's hand at work on the page. As a medium, drawing has often been seen as preparatory, in anticipation of a finished painting or sculpture. This allows the artist to freely express their ideas, and it offers us a glimpse into his creative process. Bedoli challenges the hierarchy between drawing and other forms of artmaking, asserting drawing as an art form in its own right.