The School of the Line

Since the Renaissance, drawing has been considered the most important foundation for an artist. With the help of drawing, important works could be copied for study purposes and artists could realize their own designs. This applied to painting as well as sculpture and architecture. Learning to master drawing was essential for aspiring artists, but how did painters and sculptors who are famous today learn these skills? A major exhibition at the Getty Center in Los Angeles explores artistic training: Learning to Draw runs from October 21, 2025, to January 25, 2026.

In the early modern period, drawing also gained greater independence as a medium. Although it was not yet regarded as an independent means of expression as it is today, it was accorded significantly more importance than in medieval art. Drawings were popular gifts that artists gave to each other out of respect. Albrecht Dürer and Raphael are prominent examples of this practice. The Getty Center exhibition features numerous renowned artists who lived and worked between 1550 and 1850, including Francesco Bartolozzi, Ferdinand Bol, Gerard ter Borch II, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Guercino, Robert Léopold Leprince, Paulus van Liender, Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, Hubert Robert, Anna Catharina Rugendas, Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin, Philippe Joseph Tassaert, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Giampietro Zanotti, and Federico Zuccaro.