The Drawings of G.F. Watts (Paperback)

Table of Contents* Introduction: The Watts Gallery Drawings Collection The scope of the Gallery collection The history of the various additions to the collection: Sir Brinsley Ford acquisition, Cohen acquisition, etc. The importance of drawing to Watts's artistic practice The Early Drawings: 1827-1843 Apprenticeship and training with William Behnes The art of copying: the 1827 emotion studies after Charles le Brun Discovering the Italian masters: 1828 studies after Raphael Five shilling portrait drawings to earn money for the family Drawings in the style of other artists: the 1831 Van Dyck-style self-portrait. Self-portraiture as a place to experiment with new styles and techniques Original self-portraiture: self-portrait as Fright with discussion and comparison to the self-portrait at 17, the 1853 self-portrait as a Venetian senator, and the drawn self-portrait in old age Drawing and the Artistic Process Drawing preparation and training the eye Drapery Elgin marbles sketching on scrap paper Materials Sketchbooks Figure studies, to be used as reference for future painted compositions Portrait studies Compositional sketches and thumbnails to be repeated over and over until the forms were memorised Cartoons and drawings for architecture Drawing in oil on paper Drawing a work of art: finished compositions or drawings as a final product following painting Case studies tracking the development of major works through their sketches and studies, three examples (Orpheus and Eurydice, Love and Life, Physical Energy) Drawings Beyond the Studio Display of drawings during Watts's lifetime, including exhibitions and the selective presentation of drawings to friends and visitors Reception: responses to Watts's drawings by contemporaries, the press, the art market Watts and contemporary draftsmen Sale: the circulation of drawings during and immediately after Watts's lifetime, including the sales of sanguine chalk drawings recorded in Mary Watts's diaries. Conclusion The future of the Watts Gallery drawings collection Other collections of Watts's drawings Further areas of inquiry into Watts's drawings and oeuvre