Light, shadow and colour – rethinking drawing
The Albertina is showing an exhibition that rethinks drawing. The focus is on Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer – two artists who independently perfected a technique that works with light and shadow on coloured paper. While in Italy this method was mainly used to prepare paintings, north of the Alps it became an independent art form with collector status.
Drawing was much more than sketching in the 15th century. Artists such as Leonardo used metal pens on blue primed paper to create plasticity. Dürer perfected this technique with iconic works such as the Praying Hands. The exhibition shows how the method developed in different regions and what role it played in the history of art.
The exhibition brings together 146 works from renowned collections, including loans from the Louvre, the British Museum and the Uffizi. In addition to drawings by Leonardo and Dürer, works by Raphael, Titian and Hans Baldung Grien are also on display. The exhibition sheds light on how artists experimented with contrasts and tonal values and thus opened up new visual possibilities.
Dates
The exhibition can be seen from 7 March to 9 June 2025 in the Propter Homines Hall of the Albertina.
Further information
Further information on the Leonardo – Dürer
Renaissance Master Drawings on Colored Ground (advertising) can be found on the Albertina website.
