The Head of Abraham

Fifteenth century Italian painter and writer Cennino Cennini wrote: “To approach the glory of painting . . . start by taking up a system of drawing on tinted paper.” Three hundred years later artists continued to follow Cennini’s advice. They commonly drew with black, red, and white chalks on a variety of colored papers, allowing them to model forms in light and dark. With the color of paper as a backdrop, drawings in this manner exhibit the light, volume, and texture of paintings. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s sinuous and rhythmic lines of red and white cause The Head of a Warrior to emerge slowly. Only after recognizing the old warrior’s plumed helmet do we see the delicate and somewhat faded lines of his face coalesce into his upward-looking gaze.