The Beauty in a Rough Draft

So, THIS was amazing! The Pulitzer Arts Foundation gallery had this wonderful exhibit called: Living Proof: Drawing in 19th Century Japan. These were original "rough draft" drawings that would eventually be carved into wood blocks for printing. But along the way, some enterprising apprentices to the Master artists spirited these rough drawings home with them after work and practiced their drawing technique in imitation of the master. So, some of the originals were preserved. They are so interesting because they are drawn on Mulberry paper and rice paper with all the mistakes left in and drawn over in red. They are full of humor, action, life and charm. It was really enchanting. It was also a treat to listen to one of the volunteer guides point out some of the highlights he had noticed himself. Clearly, he loved his subject matter! The sketches were housed in a very bare and spacious gallery full of light and nothing else which made it peaceful and silent. At the end, you were encouraged to try your own hand at "imitating the Master" which yielded some talented effort. It did remind me that some of these drawings with sketches of hands and feet and different heads are much like the ones that used to be scattered all over Ben's floor when he was in high school. Artists are the same everywhere I guess!