FEBRUARY 4–APRIL 29, 2007
In the Studio
Along with his studies from nature, Claude made many compositional drawings as preparatory drawings for paintings. These range from quick sketches of a scene to more detailed and elaborate studies of the setting, the arrangement of buildings and trees, and the contrasts of light and dark passages. Many of his composition drawings are "squared" with intersecting straight lines; these lines helped Claude to balance his compositions and facilitated the transfer of his designs from paper to canvas. He made an increasing number of preparatory drawings for each new project as his career developed and as his paintings became grander and more complex.
By Richard Rand
The book presents some of Claude's most remarkable drawings—including all aspects of his style and subject matter, from informal outdoor sketches of trees, rivers, and ruins to formal presentation drawings and elaborate compositional designs for paintings—many of which have never before been reproduced in color. A detailed and scholarly essay places them within the social and cultural contexts of their time and includes comparative illustrations of paintings and etchings to situate them within the artist's oeuvre.
228 pages, 9 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
137 color illustrations
Published by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in association with Yale University Press