Drawing Acts : Studies in Graphic Expression and Representation

Explores the significance of the act of drawing, establishing new foundations, appreciation of artistic drawings.

Drawing Acts is about drawing, both as art and act. Taking the study of drawings beyond the traditional agenda of connoisseurship, David Rosand explores the significance of their making, the meaning in the line of the draftsman, and the recreative dimension of critical response. The book focuses on drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Piranesi, Tiepolo, and Picasso, as well as on the history and theory of the medium itself. It seeks to establish new foundations for the criticism and appreciation of drawing, which is often considered the most revealing record of artistic creativity, offering the most direct expression of the artistic self. David Rosand is the Meyer Schapiro Professor of Art History at Columbia University, where he also serves as chairman of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Gallery. His many publications range from the Renaissance to modern art and include Myths of Venice (University of North Carolina Press, 2001) and Robert Motherwell on Paper (Harry N. Abrams, 1997).