11 ARTIST WHO WERE MASTERS OF DRAWING

Famous Drawing Artists

Drawing is one of the oldest forms of art we use visual art with a long and diverse history. It is widely considered the foundation of all art and the first medium students must master. And while its widespread accessibility means it continues to be a popular pursuit for creativity around the world, drawings are often overshadowed by painting and sculpture.

However, many artists who are famous for their work in color were also exemplary drafts people. In fact, masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rubens made countless preparatory drawings before each painting to study their subjects and develop compositions. Similarly, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres created refined graphite portraits which are some of his most celebrated works today.

Here, we will explore 11 famous artists who utilized the power of lines in their artwork.

LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452 – 1519)

              The drawing of Mona Lisa 

Leonardo da Vinci was a genius who graced this world with his presence from April 15, 1452, to May 2, 1519. He is among the most influential artists in history, having left a significant legacy not only in the realm of art but in science as well, each discipline informing his mastery of the other. Da Vinci lived in a golden age of creativity among such contemporaries as Raphael and Michael Angelo and contributed his unique genius to virtually everything he touched.

MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI

(1475 – 1564)

                    St. Peter Basilica 

Figure Drawing by Michelangelo

Michelangelo, “The Dream of Human Life".

For many, Michelangelo is still the greatest artist of all time.Michelangelo, in full Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, (born March 6, 1475, Caprese, Republic of Florence [Italy]—died February 18, 1564, Rome, Papal States), Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art.

PETER PAUL RUBENS (1577 - 1640)

      A faun grasping a bunch of grapes 

In his art, peter Paul Rubens prioritized mostly three things; color, movement, and sensuality.

The artist also focused on diplomatic and religious figures. Peter Paul Rubens traveled frequently around the European continent, including Spain, Italy, and beyond.

These locations had already been influenced by some other great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Veronese, Raphael, Tintoretto, and also Michelangelo. Rubens would utilize a lot of greys, blues, greens, and an assortment of substances.

He had some students who he taught how to paint and created most of his works. Some of these students included Jan Brueghel, Frans senders, and also Anthony van Dyck who went ahead to become very famous and successful.

All this was done in a house that he had moved into which is now the Rubenishius museum. His paintings were bold regarding color and passion in his work.

His drawings were not loaded with detail but somewhat contained long, liquid hand developments in free form. Ruben drew on the canvas and rehearsed different angles.

PAOLO VERONESE (1528 - 1588)

                       Reproduction

Paolo Veronese’s paintings are grandiose and magnificent visions of the spectacle of sixteenth-century Venetian life. His art is inextricably linked to the idea of opulence and splendor in Renaissance Venice. The works of Veronese are crowded compositions with theatrical effects, in which groups of sumptuously dressed characters reenact religious and secular events. 

RAPHAEL SANZIO (1503 - 1505)

                     Head of an Angel 

         

Raphael is unquestionably one of the greatest artists in history, but his paintings have, at times, been described as a little unimaginative due to their strict formalist design. 

“We often think of Raphael as an artist who’s quite idealizing and graceful, and possibly a bit bland,” Dr. Catherine Whistler of the Ashmolean Museum said in a video. “But if you start looking closely, the drawings are very different. Raphael emerges.”

JACOPO TINTORETTO (1518 - 1594)

            Head of Giuliano de' Medici

The real name Jacopo Robusti was an Italian Renaissance artist who specialized in religious, mythological, and portrait paintings. A prolific artist over a long career, the Venetian's masterpieces are famous for their light, vibrant coloring and dramatic composition. Major works include St. George and the Dragon, now in the National Gallery in London, and his cycle of paintings for the Scoular di San Rocco in Venice. Tintoretto's originality, energetic figures, and technique of using quick sketches in chalk and paint would be hugely influential on 17th-century CE artists.

REMBRANDT ( 1606 - 1669)

             understanding the genius 

This was an artist of experimentation, culminating in the use of all manner of media in this format. His favorites would include red or black chalk, inks with quill or reed pens, brush, and also washes. Red chalk had been used continuously by Michelangelo and Da Vinci in the earlier days of the Renaissance. Many of his sketches were study pieces for future paintings, while others were heartfelt gifts.

JEAN-AUGUSTE-DOMINIQUE INGRES ( 1780 - 1867)

The portrait of jean  

Neoclassical artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was known for his larger-than-life paintings which celebrated traditional painting techniques. And while his work in oil was sometimes scrutinized by contemporary critics for its gothic undertones, his numerous drawings and graphite portraits were highly revered for their precision in capturing a subject's physical appearance and personality.

EDGER DEGAS ( 1834 - 1917)

                 seated young woman 

While most Impressionists found inspiration in picturesque landscapes, French artist Edgar Degas preferred capturing human subjects, especially those in movement. In addition to his many well-known paintings, he also made countless pastel and pencil studies of ballerinas, singers, and bathing women—each of which displays his finesse at rendering the human form in action.

HENRI DE TOULOUSE - LAUTREC ( 1864 - 1901)

             Henri de Toulouse sketch 

In his posters, Toulouse-Lautrec employs masterful use of the line to characterize well-known performers of the time, including Yvette Guilbert, Louise Weber, and Jane Avril. His draftsmanship captured the movement of dance and the energy of Parisian nightlife during the Belle Époque.

PABLO PICASSO ( 1881 - 1973)

                     muse de Picasso 

With a career that spanned 79 years, Pablo Picasso is known for changing his painting style several times. Throughout his many creative shifts, however, the artist retained a uniquely decisive way of capturing the world around him in drawings. In particular, these sketches show how the Spanish artist needed only a few bold lines to evoke the form of his subjects.

When you jump onto any social media platform with the thought of sharing your work, you are immediately surrounded by fellow artists all trying to accomplish the same thing. Your work is watered down as people scroll down quickly and you become one of the thousands of artists, that is if the algorithm gives you a chance to even be seen.

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