The Crocker Art Museum presents The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection an exhibition on view June 30 through September 29, 2013.
From its founding in 1648, the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was the center of artistic activity in France. Through 60 drawings by artists such as Simon Vouet, Antoine Watteau, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, and Edgar Degas, this exhibition from the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, traces the formation, triumph, and reform of the Academy, leading to the École des Beaux-Arts as it is today. At the same time, the exhibition showcases the artistic process as guided by the Academy’s principles, from the artist’s first thoughts through compositional studies, figure drawings, and finished compositions. www.crockerartmuseum.org