The power of drawings

Some time ago I went to see an interesting art show of drawings, dating from the 16th to the 19th century, called "La force du dessin", a.k.a. "In the drawing room".

While you may have noticed this is not a litteral translation, I definitely think both statements are loaded with truth.

First because drawings can be so powerful, triggering emotions through the simplest of fluid lines, which I find is due to the modesty of the discipline, in addition to the artist's talent.

No fuss no muss, the subject is delivered without loads of artifice.

And second bescause I think drawings are a perfect medium to decorate a room.

Personally I decorated my bedroom exclusively with drawings and prints, which I find creates a soothing and harmonious theme in a place where rest is needed.

Also drawings are often softer on the eye, so they should'nt keep you awake, rather help calm you down if you have a look around those 4 walls.

While the exhibition was fun and packed with beautiful academic works of big French names such as Delacroix, Toulouse-Lautrec, Ingres, Cézanne, Poussin, Degas... I couldn't help feeling something was slightly underwhelming.

I would have loved the show to have covered modern and contemporary works, as to me drawings stand out the most when figurative and abstract are being confronted.

It is always iteresting to see how the various themes can so often be identical (love, nostalgia, death, life...) but can be delivered in such different ways, it makes me think a little further than when looking at 20 representations of an arm study.

These contrasts in styles is something you can easily reproduce at home and it will give your artwall that little extra kick.

Also monochromes mixed with richly colored pieces can brighten up the image of your collection!

And I can think of a last good reason why to engage on this road: they are often cheaper than paintings and you can easily find some really interesting ones in flea markets for very modest price tags.

If you have a love of collecting like I do, this item should not take up too much place in your home, and even if you do pile some up instead of hanging them all on the wall, they will easily fit in a simple box or suitcase, so your household should'nt be annoyed :-)