Rest on the Flight into Egypt 1537 - 1585

Luca Cambiaso made this drawing, Rest on the Flight into Egypt, with pen and brown ink, and brown wash on paper. These are relatively traditional art materials, but the way they are used here is quite distinctive. Notice how the fairly thin ink lines create a sense of volume. Look closely, and you can see how the artist laid down a network of strokes, and then reinforced them with the brown wash. This material handling gives the image a wonderful textural quality, particularly in the figures' drapery. Cambiaso was a highly productive artist, and this drawing gives us a privileged insight into his working process. You can really sense the hand of the artist moving quickly across the page, making compositional decisions on the fly. Ultimately, it's the immediacy of the medium, and the directness of the artist's touch, that gives this drawing its special appeal. It reminds us that even the most exalted religious subject can be brought down to earth by a humble piece of paper, some ink, and a skillful hand.