Early Netherlandish Drawings : From Van Eyck to Bruegel

Another excellent study morning from Paula Nuttall looking at drawings from the Netherlands in the 15th and 16th centuries to compliment the exhibition at the British Museum.

Nuttall talked us thought the reasons why drawings were made and the techniques and materials used.

She spent a lot of time talking about how drawings were used in artists’ workshops and looked in particular at the nine works by or from the workshop of Roger Van de Weyden. In each case she talked about the function of the drawing and highlighted any paintings which derived from them.

We then looked at how drawings were used for work on different media as a design tool covering tapestry, prints, stained glass, sculpture and manuscripts. This was also a useful way of introducing these different media in the period.

Finally she looked at the later years when ideas from Italy started to creep into the work from classical ideas to Italian landscapes done by artists on their travels.

I had seen the show shortly before and I am planning a trip back this week to consolidate what I’ve learnt and to take another look at these beautiful works.