Works on paper from the Collezione Ramo
This volume aims to emphasize the importance of drawing in the history of twentieth-century Italian art.
Drawing has constituted the underlying structure of every form of artistic experimentation, being the expressive vehicle of choice for painters and sculptors alike. If we consider the term in its broadest sense (that is, as an artwork on paper in any medium, including watercolour, collage, pastel or ink) drawing represents the first visualization of an idea, the foundation on which all artists have built. Drawing captures creativity in its most immediate state and in the most authentic manner possible, providing an insight into the genesis of a style. It is born of daily artistic practice and, given its private character, is never ‘censored’ or corrected.
This book attempts to overturn the traditional way of looking at drawing. It does not take the history of artistic movements or finished works as its starting point, only then going on to relate these to works on paper, but rather identifies genres, themes and styles in the drawings themselves, which span the whole of the twentieth century. The drawings are given a voice of their own.
Knowing how to read a drawing in terms of its details, visual associations and references to everyday life enables one to uncover the secret world of an artist, and enter into his or her thought process.