Among the early South German drawings, works made using the so-called chiaroscuro (light-and-shade, light-and-dark) technique constitute a special group. They were made on dark-coloured prepared paper using black contour lines, with the three-dimensional forms heightened in white or sometimes in a different bright colour. The decorative effect of these drawings generated widespread interest among collectors. Their themes were sometimes religious, sometimes profane: besides sheets by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Albrecht Altdorfer, each depicting a saint, the exhibition also presents a contemporaneous copy of a composition by Altdorfer, showing the biblical scene of David and Abigail. A rarely portrayed story from Greek mythology was brought to life by an artist of Augsburg: hidden in a sack and carried on the back of dolphins, the infant Achilles was taken by his mother to safety on the island of Skyros. A stained glass design by Tobias Stimmer on brownish red prepared paper with a decorative effect is also included in the exhibition.
The Age of DÜRER
