Master Drawings: Michelangelo to Moore

The Ashmolean does not have the space to display it's large collection of drawings, so the exhibition in 2013 was a welcome chance to see some of them. The book is a permanent record of these wonderful works to sit on my shelves.

The book has no drawings that would make one feel inspired. It is rather boring and I wish I could return it at no extra cost. I am sure that master drawings were more interesting than this; perhaps choice of them could be improved next time. The book had also old musty smell.

Another book on my Amazon list that I was waiting for the price to reduce on. I bought a second hand copy for £3 + £2.80 P & P. A real bargain. The book is much larger than I thought it would be. It’s 28 x 22 cm and contains 184 pages. The book is produced by the Ashmolean Museum and starts off with a historical preamble and a section on materials followed by a catalogue of drawings. This contains 71 drawings by great artists in chronological order, starting with Albrecht Dürer and ending with David Hockney. The layout for each drawing is for the plate to be on the right hand page with the descriptive text on the left. It works well though I would not call some of them “Master Drawings”. Antony Gormley’s entry is shocking and I could think of many more worthy entries then some of those included (hence only four stars). However, it’s a good reference and worth having in the collection.

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