Frederic, Lord Leighton, P.R.A. (British, 1830–1896), Study for Daphnephoria, before 1876, charcoal and pencil heightened with white wash on blue paper, 8 x 17 3/4 in., 2012.10.
Although drawing was an important training practice in Renaissance Italy, it was the Paris École des Beaux-Arts in the 19th century, the most influential art school in the Western world that instilled in artists the benefits of observation and constant drawing as the foundation for art making. The Essential Line features 40 drawings from the Dahesh Museum of Art by well-known artist like Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Rosa Bonheur, Léon-Joseph-Florentin Bonnat, Gustave Doré, Theodule-Augustin Ribot, Léopold Robert, as well as other equally gifted contemporaries. Arranged in 5 thematic sections, the exhibition explores the importance of drawing during the 19th century, whether as an educational tool, studies for paintings or sculptures, rapid sketches produced en plein-air (onsite) for future reference, or finished works of art.
The exhibition is accompanied by a full-color publication, The Art of Drawing: Selections from the Dahesh Museum of Art.