GIROLAMO MUZIANO

Description

The style of the drawing reveals many of the most characteristic features of Muziano’s graphic work. The chalk marks that repeat several times to progressively define the volume and contours of the figures, the eyes with large hollow and dark orbits, the Michelangelesque construction of the body of Christ and the austere and completely cloaked clothing of the Virgin. In particular, the widespread diagonal hatching to suggest the shadows and chiaroscuro areas of the characters is an almost essential element in the artist’s drawings. The use of black chalk, sometimes combined with a greasy material, is probably linked to the  Brescian painter’s apprenticeship, or slightly after in his early years in Rome, when he was absorbing the influence of Daniel de Voltera. Also common to Muzianesque practice is the use of paper for multiple sketches, generally “close ups” of the main composition.