Three Studies for the Resurrected Christ Adored by a Female Saint and San Silvestro Gozzalini 1607

This sheet of paper, held at the Art Institute of Chicago, has red and black chalk applied by the hand of Francesco Vanni. Look closely, and you will see a collection of sketches, rapidly drawn. The softness of the chalks allows Vanni to create shading and build volume with ease, while the paper’s texture grabs at the pigment to give the image a lively surface. These studies show Vanni working through the composition and poses for a larger altarpiece, and reveal the crucial role of drawing in the Renaissance artist’s workshop. Vanni is thinking through gesture and drapery, working out the expressive qualities of the figures through their bodies. Consider that this was a highly skilled practice, and how the economy of Renaissance workshops relied on the division of labor. Some artists specialized in preparatory drawings, others in transferring the designs to panel or canvas, and still others in the final painting. The chalk lines on this sheet of paper thus represent one step in a long and complex process of production.