Andrea del Sarto: The Renaissance Workshop in Action

This volume accompanies the exhibition of the same name at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles from June to September 2015 and then at the Frick Collection in New York from October 2015 until January 2016. The subtitle, “The Renaissance Workshop in Action,” is somewhat misleading and is probably a product of the Getty’s marketing people: “action” is always a draw, and “workshop in action” conjures up images of bustling activity, dynamic creativity, rampant productivity, etc.—something we really want to get into and become a part of. In fact, Andrea del Sarto did oversee one of the largest and most active workshops in Renaissance Italy, and it would be fascinating to know as much as possible about the activity of its operation: what parts of commissions did the master reserve for himself, what did he assign to chief assistants and what to the general shop, exactly who were the assistants, where did they come from, and how did they advance through the ranks of anonymous background daubers, what criteria did Andrea use in elevating assistants to positions of increasing responsibility, how was the workshop physically arranged, what were the general conditions of labor, etc.? But unfortunately we don’t know very much about that; Julian Brooks, Curator of Drawings at the Getty and the principal curator of the exhibition and major contributor to the catalogue, ultimately points to “how limited our understanding of Andrea’s working practice is, and how little of it we can currently reconstruct” (121). So much for the “workshop in action” idea, but we know not to judge a book by its cover, and the same should apply to its subtitle. So let us call this book what it is: an excellent presentation of Andrea’s drawings, most of which are preparatory for the paintings, in comparison with the finished products themselves. The idea is to trace the evolution of a work, whenever possible, from the “primo pensiero” through the various preliminary studies to the preparation of the cartoon and the final transfer to the support, and so to understand as much as we can of Andrea’s creative process, both individually and in collaboration with his workshop. But the accent is on the drawings, and anyone who has ever doubted that Andrea is in the very top rank of Renaissance draftsmen—and maybe second only to Leonardo himself—will want to take a close look at this book.The exhibition and catalogue are a significant contribution to Sarto studies, as it is apparently the first occasion on which his drawings have been seen in context with a focused selection of the paintings to which they contributed. Fifty-five of his surviving corpus of about 180 drawings have been gathered from a dozen or so institutional and many private lenders. Not all will be exhibited in both venues, but they are all beautifully reproduced in the catalogue, mostly in red chalk, some in black chalk, and a few in a combination of the two. It is in the simplicity and economy of line in these drawings that we find the roots of the naturalism that characterizes so much of his painting and that is a frequent topic of discussion in the essays. What Dr. Brooks calls Andrea’s “desperately sincere observation” (7) is apparent in his studies of the fall of drapery, angles of illumination, and other images, but above all in his renderings of the human face, some of which are just about as perfect as they could be. Kenneth Clark famously called Leonardo’s “Head of a Young Woman” (the study for an angel in “The Virgin of the Rocks,” c. 1485) “the most beautiful drawing in the world,” but there is more than one drawing in this collection that could easily go head-to-head (so to speak) with that one, including Sarto’s own “Head of a Young Woman” (c. 1523), the cover image: quite simply, this exhibition presents some of the most beautiful portraits, both drawn and painted, that have ever been made. Sarto’s technique with red chalk is just astonishing; there seems to be nothing, in line or tonality, that he could not achieve with a seemingly effortless adjustment in weight or by stumping or wetting and redrawing, etc., and Julian Brooks is an excellent guide to these techniques. In addition to his general introduction, he has written the commentary on the majority of the exhibition reproductions and several more extended essays, such as on “The Madonna of the Steps” and “The Sacrifice of Isaac,” where enough preparatory material and different versions exist to allow us to follow the development of the theme in greater detail. Xavier F. Salomon, Chief Curator at the Frick, has contributed some commentary on Sarto’s portraits, and there are several essays by other well known Renaissance scholars addressing topics such as Andrea’s sources (Dürer, Rembrandt, Raphael), his presence in the Medici collections (the Galleria Palatina in the Palazzo Pitti, which was a Medici residence, is filled with his work), the motivations behind Vasari’s changing evaluations of Sarto, his technical procedures, etc. I found these to be mostly interesting and informative. In terms of apparatus, there is a useful timeline of events in Sarto’s life, a checklist of the exhibition, a good bibliography and an comprehensive, detailed index. Scholars will have to take note of this catalogue because of several revised attributions and datings, but it will also be very useful to the general public because of its clear organization, accessible commentary and beautiful reproductions. Andrea del Sarto is not as well known as some of his contemporaries; this is an excellent opportunity to become acquainted or reacquainted with the artist Dr. Brooks calls “the revolutionary engine of the Florentine Renaissance and the transformer of draftsmanship” (1). An outstanding achievement and very highly recommended.

exceptional reproduction quality as well as a splendid explanation of florence workshops. Giorgio Vasari was heavly relied upon for Del Sarto works and intent; however, Vasari sounds a bit envious of Andrea's talent and willingly downsized his work. Vasari was affiliated with Michelangelo and probably took sides in a competitive fuedal world..

Very beautifully made, quality feel paper, love the cover image

This is a great collection of Del Sarto drawings, but also goes quite in depth into his processes. A must for any artist.

Great for drawing practice, which is why I bought it.

:)

Must have for serious artists. I love this book. It is more than a catalog of an exhibition. It has invaluable information about the research into his methods.

Beautifully illustrated monograph on whom I would consider the greatest draughtsman of the renaissance.

What a fabulous insight into the mind of Andrea del Sarto. To see his attitude to drawing and the preparatory work for his paintings so beautifully illustrated was a joy. And reading about the man and his personal life was very touching. So well written. One of the finest Art books I've come across since I was an art student in the sixties when first introduced to the drawings of Andrea del Sarto.

My husband could not put this one down, cost us extra visits to Italy (aaahh, what a shame...) and now we are boring all our grandchildren with del Sarto.

EXCELLENT BOOK WITH EXCELLENT SERVICE, THANKS

THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK OF QUALITY ON ANDREA DEL SARTO,S DRAWINGS I HAVE SEEN AND IT IS A BEAUTY.THE DRAWINGS ARE VERY WELL REPRODUCED AND ALSO THE PAINTINGS THEY RELATE TO.THE TEXT IS THAT OF AN EXPERT WHO IS REALLY ENTHUSIASTIC.THIS BOOK IS ALSO FREE OF PHILOSOPHICAL RUBBISH THAT SO OFTEN SPOILS ART HISTORY AND USUALLY REVEALS THAT THE WRITER IS NOT A PRACTICIONER OF EITHER DRAWING OR PAINTING.

worth having