Head of a Bearded Man Looking to Upper Right 1634 - 1689

Ciro Ferri created this drawing, Head of a Bearded Man Looking to Upper Right, sometime in the 17th century using black chalk on blue paper. You might think of drawing as a preliminary medium, a sketch that precedes a more finished work. But consider the intense labor and the social contexts of even a seemingly simple drawing like this one. Blue paper like this was costly, made using finely ground azurite, a semi-precious stone. The black chalk also had to be prepared, and its application required both skill and sensitivity to the texture of the paper. Ferri no doubt made this drawing in preparation for a larger project, perhaps a painting or a fresco. The head is rendered with a sculptural quality; look at the way the chalk models the planes of the face. It suggests Ferri was thinking about the three-dimensional form, and how it would appear in space. Far from a spontaneous sketch, this drawing embodies a sustained encounter with materials, and a dialogue with artistic tradition. This allows us to appreciate the drawing in its own right.