The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480–1650
September 18, 2009-January 3, 2010
Flash holder
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Grégoire Huret, Neptune and Thetis Carrying the Riches of the Empire to Cardinal Richelieu, ca. 1626-42 |
Objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy, Renaissance engravings communicate a unique visual language made up entirely of lines. The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480–1650 explores the art of engraving and its dynamic transformations during the European Renaissance. Showcasing works by the most outstanding masters, from great innovators such as Albrecht Dürer to virtuoso specialists such as Agostino Carracci, the exhibition demonstrates how engravers learned from one another and pushed their art to astonishing technical heights. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to observe the rapid visual evolution of one of Europe’s first reproducible art forms. Accompanying the exhibition is a fully illustrated catalogue, available online and at risd|works.
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Exhibition Checklist | Exhibition Catalogue | Brilliant Line Dog Tote
PROGRAMS
Opening Celebration for The Brilliant Line: Following the Modern Engraver
Radeke Society Members and Special Guests Preview
Wednesday, September 16, 5:30 to 8pm
This invitation-only celebration will include a first look at this exquisite exhibition, which explores the art of engraving and its dynamic transformations during the European Renaissance. Showcasing works by the most outstanding masters, from great innovators such as Albrecht Dürer to virtuoso specialists such as Agostino Carracci, the exhibition demonstrates how engravers learned from one another and pushed their art to astonishing technical heights.
Member Preview Day
Thursday, September 17, 2009, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Museum members are invited to view the exhibition before the general public. Please show your membership card for admission.
Curator Conversation: Bringing to Life the Early Modern Engraver
Thursday, October 15, 6 pm
Waterman Gallery
In the Renaissance engraving was new, and one of the world’s first reproducible art forms, full of possibility for the spread of designs of all types throughout Europe. Emily Peters, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs and Andrew Raftery, RISD Associate Professor of Printmaking discuss their collaboration on the exhibition, The Brilliant Line and offer new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque engravers.
Quality in Renaissance and Baroque Engraving: The Critics’ Response
Wednesday, October 28, 7pm
This special lecture by world-renowned scholar of Renaissance prints Michael Bury will address the praise and censure of prints in Renaissance Europe. In association with the exhibition The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650, Bury considers how an engraving’s quality of line was measured and defined in the period. Michael Bury is Reader Emeritus of History of Art at the University of Edinburgh. His 2001 exhibition at the British Museum, The Print in Italy, 1550-1620, whose catalogue won the prestigious Eric Mitchell Prize, was a groundbreaking reassessment of the reproductive print in Europe.
Tuesday Talks Series: Lines of Communication in Renaissance Europe
Held in conjunction with the exhibition, The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650, this lecture series explores Renaissance artists, the cities in which they worked and the transcontinental exchange of images and techniques that culminated in acclaimed works of art. Lectures begin at 1pm in the Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium, Chace Center. Fee: $15 per lecture for nonmembers ($35 for 3-lecture series); free to members. To register, contact Deb Clemons at 401 454-6530 or dclemons@risd.edu.
Tuesday, October 13
Rubens in Black and White: The Art, Intellectual Property, and Marketing of Engravings
Dr. Jeffrey Muller, Professor of History of Art and Architecture, Brown University
Tuesday, November 10
Michelangelo and Raphael from Florence to Rome
Dr. Mary Bergstein, Professor and Department Head of History of Art and Visual Culture, RISD
Tuesday, December 8
Breughel's Paradoxical Virtues
Dr. Margaret Carroll, Professor of Art History, Wellesley College
Saturday, November 14, 9am-12pm
Art | Works: Engraving Workshop
Although most people see and even touch an engraving every day—US currency and many stamps are engraved on steel—few artists work in the medium today. Practicing engraver and RISD Associate Professor of Printmaking, Andrew Raftery, demonstrates the preparation and step-by-step execution of the engraving process. Discover the tools and techniques used by early modern engravers and try your hand at making a mark. This exclusive workshop ends with a guided visit to the exhibition The Brilliant Line. Members $45; Non-members $75; Fee includes admission to the Museum. Space is limited. Preregistration is required. Registration deadline is October 30. To register, contact Kristen Powich, Manager of Membership, at 401-454-6321 or kpowich@risd.edu.
