Beyond the Centre: Sketches on the Edges
The combination of a pencil and a white, unmarked sheet of paper has always exerted fascination on humanity. This applies as well to artists confronted with the virgin edges of their printing plates. It is precisely these blank margins that offer artists a realm of possibilities to develop and test spontaneous ideas.
Otherwise inconspicuous edges provide latitude for a broad spectrum of curious motifs: here a herd of wild horses rushes across the paper, there an obelisk is chasing a Pierrot clown or a cat accompanies a sleigh ride. The strangeness of these humorous scenes distracts the viewer鈥檚 gaze from the actual image. It causes it to increasingly drift off to the edges of the paper where the bizarreness of the artist鈥檚 ideas entices the eye to linger. The periphery of the page is transformed from a minor diversion to the central subject matter by these charming sketches. The otherwise trivial edges are enhanced and are placed in the spotlight.
This exhibition examines for the first time the fascinating phenomenon of 鈥渞emarques鈥�, or sketches on the margins, in printed works from the Baroque era to modern art. It focuses on major works from the collection of Prints and Drawings of the Kunsthalle by artists such as Stefano della Bella, Eug猫ne Delacroix, 脡douard Manet, Edvard Munch, K盲the Kollwitz and Georges Braque.
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The combination of a pencil and a white, unmarked sheet of paper has always exerted fascination on humanity. This applies as well to artists confronted with the virgin edges of their printing plates. It is precisely these blank margins that offer artists a realm of possibilities to develop and test spontaneous ideas.
Otherwise inconspicuous edges provide latitude for a broad spectrum of curious motifs: here a herd of wild horses rushes across the paper, there an obelisk is chasing a Pierrot clown or a cat accompanies a sleigh ride. The strangeness of these humorous scenes distracts the viewer鈥檚 gaze from the actual image. It causes it to increasingly drift off to the edges of the paper where the bizarreness of the artist鈥檚 ideas entices the eye to linger. The periphery of the page is transformed from a minor diversion to the central subject matter by these charming sketches. The otherwise trivial edges are enhanced and are placed in the spotlight.
This exhibition examines for the first time the fascinating phenomenon of 鈥渞emarques鈥�, or sketches on the margins, in printed works from the Baroque era to modern art. It focuses on major works from the collection of Prints and Drawings of the Kunsthalle by artists such as Stefano della Bella, Eug猫ne Delacroix, 脡douard Manet, Edvard Munch, K盲the Kollwitz and Georges Braque.
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