In my last post, I mentioned a silverpoint show coming up in February. I will be exhibiting my pieces, Flowers of Wisdom and Ptah. The gallery press release is below my images.
The Luster of the Line: Drawings in Metalpoint
February 26 – March 25, 2016
Opeing Reception: Friday February 26, 6-9pm
The Clement Art Gallery
201 Broadway
Troy, NY 12180
http://www.clementart.com
518.272.6811
Curator: Jon Gernon
In the late Gothic/early Renaissance era, silverpoint emerged as a fine line drawing technique. Not blunting as easily as lead or tin, and rendering precise detail, silverpoint was especially favored in Florentine and Flemish workshops. Silverpoint drawings of this era include model books and preparatory sheets for paintings. Artists who worked in silverpoint include Jan van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Dürer and Raphael.
Silverpoint drawings have been described as elegant, delicate, and precise. They display the “hand of the artist” more than perhaps any other medium, and are more completely archival than any other; drawings from the late Medieval period through the Renaissance have survived to the present without damage due to the inertness and permanence of the materials.
A silverpoint drawing is made by dragging a silver rod or wire across a surface, often prepared with gesso or primer. Silverpoint is one of several types of metalpoint used by scribes, craftsmen and artists since ancient times. The softness of these metals made them effective drawing instruments.
The initial marks of silverpoint appear grey as other metalpoints, but silverpoint lines, when exposed to air, tarnish to a warm brown tone. The oxidation becomes perceptible over a period of several months. The speed of oxidation varies according to the level of pollution in the air. Historically, silverpoint styli ranged widely in composition from pure silver to heavily alloyed with copper.
This exhibition will show a variety of ideas and applications of this historical medium. Each of the artists in this show bring traditional and modern images together exploiting the beauty of the surface and the delicacy of lines.
Exhibting artists:
Jeannine Cook, Jon Gernon, Barbara Henning-Loomis, Eileen Kennedy, Richard Kirk,
Elaine Langerman, Tom Mazzullo, Banjie Getsinger-Nicholas, Kandy Phillips, Diane Savino
Richard A. Kirk | Visual Artist | Author 
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