Of course I’m biased as a printmaker, but surely even non-printmakers can appreciate the amazing beauty in the Chiaroscuro woodcuts from two of the finest collections in the world currently on show at the Royal Academy.
Ugo da Carpi, after Raphael Archimedes (?) c. 1518-20 – Chiaroscuro woodcut printed from five blocks, the tone blocks in beige, pale brown, brown and blackish brown 44.5 x 34.7 cm Albertina, Vienna. Photo Albertina, Vienna. Organised by the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Albertina, Vienna – RA website https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/10
These works were either conceived as “independent works or based on the designs of the greatest Renaissance artists such as Parmigianino, Raphael and Titian”. The pioneering 16th-century printing technique:
“breathed new life into well-known biblical scenes and legends; from Perseus slaying the Medusa to Aeneas Fleeing Troy, and the Miraculous Draught of Fishes.”
In this exhibition the RA has gathered 150 of the most exquisite and rare examples of this forgotten art form, with a focus on the chiaroscuro method and the craftsmanship of its proponents in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, which created the first colour prints “that make dramatic use of light and dark.”
I am in awe at the beauty and technical perfection of these marvellous prints. The exhibition is on at the RA now and runs until June 8.
sharonlowartist 