Published in the University of Melbourne Collections, Issue 14, June 2014, pp. 46 – 50 Recently I had the opportunity to conduct in-depth research on an old master drawing from the J. Orde Poynton Collection, housed in the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne (illustrated below). The focus of that 12-week research project was … Continue reading
Cristofano Robetta (1462 – 1535 after) is not exactly a well known name, even to those interested in the early history of western printmaking. Over-shadowed by luminaries of his era, print historians have invariably discussed the awkward and technically unrefined aspects of his work. They also point out its heavily derivative nature as Robetta freely … Continue reading
“The fact – and this will seem to many unbelievable – that his paintings by no means equaled his superb engravings did a lot to damage his reputation.”[1] Constantijn Huygens, 1630 The term ‘virtuosity’ rarely fails to surface when discussing the graphic oeuvre of Dutch artist Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617). Praised for his sheer technical brilliance, … Continue reading
Some of the most significant and intriguing series created within the tradition of printmaking as it evolved in Europe, share a tendency to resist clear interpretation. From Jacques Callot’s Capricci (c.1617), Francisco de Goya’s Los Caprichos (1799) and Los Proverbios (c. 1816-24), to Pablo Picasso’s Vollard Suite (1930-1937), a common characteristic between these disparate bodies … Continue reading
Visual Pursuits 