Through lines: Approaching Early German Drawings

In the 2024 Thaw Lecture, Stephanie Buck, Director of the Kupferstich-Kabinett at the Dresden State Art Collections, and the Drawing Institute’s 2024 Thaw Senior Fellow, will explore the interstices of some of the Morgan’s finest early German drawings, among them Dürer’s enigmatic Abduction on Horseback and the Head of an Elderly Man attributed to Sebald Beham. As Buck will argue, the scarcity of written sources from the period requires us to focus on the process of making through close looking, including technical examination. She will also consider the relationship between drawing and printmaking, noting how this leads to a more nuanced understanding of the intrinsic artistic meaning and function of drawings, which may change over time. More broadly, the lecture will consider questions of how drawings were used in Northern artists’ workshops during the fifteenth- and sixteenth centuries.

This program takes place in Gilder Lehrman Hall on the Ground Floor. Doors to the Hall will open 30 minutes before the lecture begins. Seating is general admission.

Please e-mail public_programs@themorgan.org with questions about accessibility.