Theresa Thompson inspects Venetian gems – from Titian to Canaletto

Luminosity is a key feature of Venetian drawing.

Venetian artists were concerned above all with the play of light and shade on forms,” says Dr Catherine Whistler, the Ashmolean Museum’s Keeper of Western Art and curator of a ground breaking exhibition of Venetian drawings from the Ashmolean, Christ Church, Oxford, and the Uffizi, Florence.

Just over half of the 100 drawings on view in Titian to Canaletto – Drawing in Venice come from the Uffizi, which has one of the world’s great Venetian drawings collections, with some, like the Tiepolo drawings, having never been shown before.

The exhibition is a challenge to the persistent myth that the Venetians did not draw, with pieces from the Ashmolean’s collection, the Uffizi in Florence, and Christ Church Picture Gallery.

“You can see the qualities of Venetian drawing, luminosity, virtuosity, sensuality, in these first three drawings,” said Catherine, gesturing towards a magnificent trio of drawings by Titian, Bellini and Carpaccio, used as an introduction to the exhibition.

“This first room takes you through the 16th century, but we start with three of the best. You see differences in the techniques used: Carpaccio using tonality in his female head studies, achieving polished sculptural effects; the Bellini portrait of a man essentially a masterpiece of black chalk taken to extraordinary levels; then, Titian using black and white chalk on what was once blue paper, but faded having been exposed to light, in this lovely study of a young woman.

“The variety of drawings we include shows the importance of drawing to Venetian artists; how they used drawings in different ways: as preparatory works, brainstorming, as teaching tools, or independent works of art. I want people to see that Venetian art is not all about painting and colour – a common idea – but that there was a long vigorous tradition of drawing in Venice. And, that there is continuity.”

“Essentially, what I want is for people to really look at these drawings, engage with them, and say they’re amazing.”

With her infectious enthusiasm and the exhibition’s impressive list of artists – masterpieces from Titian, Bellini, Carpaccio, Bassano, Veronese, Tintoretto, Canaletto and high-quality works by lesser-known artists, Titian’s brother among them – this ambitious exhibition is certain to be a resounding success. The period covered runs from 1500 when Titian was an emerging artist, to the 18th-century foundation of the first academy of art in Venice.

Catherine says: “It came about because of my own curiosity and curatorship at the Ashmolean. Our own great Titian drawing was at the back of it. I asked myself, if Titian made this drawing, why do they think that Venetian drawing didn’t exist? For my original doctoral work I worked on the Tiepolo family.

I’ve been working on new research, looking at Venetian drawing as a practice – theory, practice, and collecting, and how they interweave – and began asking questions about the received wisdom. I found it interesting that in Florence there is such a marvellous collection of Venetian drawings – yet the idea that Venetian art is all about colour first came from Florence.

“I have tried to select drawings that are outstanding,” says Catherine. “Drawings of all kinds, and show them in a symphonic way.”