Study sheet with St Francis, an Annunciation and three studies of heads

drawing, red-chalk, ink, indian-ink

portrait

drawing

high-renaissance

toned paper

woman

light pencil work

head

red-chalk

pen sketch

pencil sketch

personal sketchbook

ink

cross

sketch

indian-ink

pen-ink sketch

13_16th-century

12_15th-century

pen work

sketchbook drawing

pencil work

sketchbook art

angel

This pen and ink drawing, "Study sheet with St Francis, an Annunciation and three studies of heads" by Palma il Giovane (c. 1550–1628), is an example of a preparatory sketch or study sheet. Artists often used these to work out compositional ideas and explore different figures, poses, and details before committing to a final piece. The sheet contains several studies, including a figure of St. Francis holding a cross, an Annunciation scene, and three studies of heads, possibly intended for a larger composition. The loose and expressive lines reveal Palma's artistic process. The sheet, now in the Städel Museum, offers insight into the creative workings of this Venetian Renaissance master.

Comments

stadelmuseum over 1 year ago

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This sheet is an outstanding example of Palma’s draughtsmanship. In his sketches he frequently recorded likenesses of the people around him – here, for example, his wife Andriana. The Annunciation group, on the other hand, was presumably inspired by a Titian painting for San Domenico Maggiore in Naples; it reappears in Palma’s drawings again and again with slight variations. These studies are more than mere preparation for paintings, however – here the art of drawing clearly possesses its own intrinsic value. The calligraphic exercises attribute a specific aesthetic to the line, and the sketch thus gains autonomy as a work of art.