The Irvine Museum presents Mastering the Medium: Works on Paper an exhibition on view through September 19, 2013.
Mastering the Medium: Works on Paper features a wide selection of drawings, some of which are simply student work done in art school, while others are studies relating to large, final oil paintings. Also, the exhibition encompasses a wonderful selection of finished watercolors and works in pastel, painted in the 1920s-1940s by many important California masters. Finally, the exhibition displays a small group of etchings of the California Missions, produced by Henry Chapman Ford in the 1880s.
Works on paper, that is to say drawings, watercolors and graphic arts, are among the most commonly and copiously produced works of art, and yet are also among the most discounted and overlooked. This is because of several common misconceptions: that works on paper are merely studies or trial pieces; that they are produced by amateur or dilettante artists; that they are delicate and will not last long; and that they are not important works.
In fact, many works on paper are indeed studies and trial pieces but they are nevertheless beautiful and significant works of art, produced by important artists throughout history, and if properly handled, will survive and stay bright and beautiful just as long as oil paintings. www.irvinemuseum.org