Detaille af "Det Aldobrandinske Bryllup" 1731 - 1802

This is a drawing by Johannes Wiedewelt made with graphite on paper. Wiedewelt was a sculptor and is known today as the father of Neoclassicism in Denmark. The work is a detail from "The Aldobrandini Wedding", a Roman fresco of great renown. What can we learn from Wiedewelt’s choice to render this scene, classically, in graphite on paper? The original fresco would have been made by highly skilled, yet anonymous artisans. Wiedewelt isolates a moment from the larger composition with a reproducible medium. Graphite, like other drawing materials, mimics the gestures of handwriting. The drawing gives a sense of immediacy, of the artist’s hand, even though it reproduces a much earlier work. The drawing presents the wedding scene in sharp detail. Wiedewelt has translated the fresco’s monumental presence into an intimate medium, using graphite to capture the flowing drapery, the facial expressions, and the emotional tension between the figures. In focusing on materials and process, we realize that the significance of "Detaille af 'Det Aldobrandinske Bryllup'" lies not only in its subject but also in how Wiedewelt transforms classical art through the craft of drawing.