Eye Candy for Today: Thomas Wilmer Dewing silverpoint portrait

Comments

4 responses to “Eye Candy for Today: Thomas Wilmer Dewing silverpoint portrait”

1. 

   Thomas D

   February 22, 2015

   I never heard of that method before.. It ends up a very poetic result
   1. 

      Charley Parker

      February 23, 2015

      Thanks for the comment, Thomas. Metalpoint, and in particular silverpoint, was more prevalent in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
2. 

   David J Teter

   February 24, 2015

   I’ve always loved this one, especially for his tonal approach as you mention.
   On your comment of the medium being more prevalent in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
   You would think a medium that is a simple drawing method, meaning grab the tool and draw without a lot of extensive preparation, would have had some resurgence over the last few years as art in general went more towards traditional and academic yet I can’t think of a single contemporary artist who works in silverpoint.
   There probably are some but it certainly is not common if so.

   I don’t know a lot about silverpoint so I wonder if it is a delicate medium to display, like watercolor is prone to fading but even more so in some way and hence less saleable?
   1. 

      Charley Parker

      February 24, 2015

      Thanks, David.

      I think silverpoint is off-putting for many contemporary artists compared to other drawing media. It’s more expensive, usually requires a prepared ground, is not dramatic and doesn’t produce dark darks. Also, the final appearance of the oxidized metal doesn’t reveal itself for months. Another factor is that many potential art buyers may not be familiar with silverpoint as a medium.

      I have come across some contemporary artists who work in silverpoint, and prize it for its delicacy. I’ve written about a few: Koo Schadler, Stephen Scott Young, and Fred Wessel among them. Schadler and Wessel have a penchant for other painstaking Renaissance techniques, notably egg tempera.

      I think the more widespread availability of graphite pencils, in the 18th century had something to do with the diminished use of metalpoint. While it may lack some of the uncanny subtlety of silverpoint, graphite can produce fine lines and great delicacy more readily than chalks or crayons.