Claude Lorrain and Seventeenth-Century Italian Studio Practice
April 29, 2007
2:00 pm
Join art conservator Phoebe Dent Weil as she explores the common components of seventeenth-century paintings and drawings—inks, pigments, media, canvas, paper —and how these were prepared and employed by Claude Lorrain.
Weil will focus on Claude’s drawing materials—inks, red and black chalk, white gouache, reed pen, quills, brushes, white and blue papers—and propose a demonstration of his typical working methods and ways in which he used his drawings and varied his techniques for specific purposes. Claude’s drawing techniques will be compared with those of some of his contemporaries and predecessors. Methods of manipulating these materials in order to work on the spot in the open air will be discussed, as well as Claude’s adaptation of drawings to canvas and his painting materials and techniques.
The question of alteration of Claude’s drawing materials over time, both physically and chemically and the impact of these changes on the aesthetics of the visual image, will be presented. Digital reconstructions estimating the original appearance of some of the drawings will be shown as well as actual reconstructions using materials approximating those used by Claude.
