Eighteenth-century Drawings from the Ackland Collection

January 7, 2015 - April 5, 2015

Two dogs tussling over a picnic basket

Resonating with works on view in Genius and Grace: François Boucher and The Generation of 1700, nine drawings from the Ackland’s distinguished and growing collection of eighteenth-century European art have been chosen for this exhibition. This presentation offers a broader view than Genius and Grace by including Italian drawings and works by major artists active in later decades, such Jean-Honoré Fragonard and Jean-Baptiste Greuze.

The media and techniques used in the works on view showcase the expressive versatility of drawing. Using black and red chalk, charcoal, pen and ink, ink wash, and gouache, these artists expertly convey volume, movement, and emotion. The mythological, literary, domestic, and religious subjects in the drawings are exemplary of the broad intellectual curiosity of the eighteenth century.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French, 1732-1806: Angelica Selects a Mount, Illustration for Artiosto’s Orlando Furioso, Canto XI, Verse 12, 1780s; black chalk with brown ink, brown and gray wash. The William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund.

Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French, 1686-1755: The Dog Who Carried the Dinner Basket for his Master, illustration for La Fontaine’s Fables, 1732; black and gray wash and white gouache on blue paper. Ackland Fund.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Italian, 1696-1770: Walking Man, before 1762; pen with brown ink and brown wash over black chalk. Ackland Fund.