Fine Lines

'Fine Lines: American Drawings' from the Brooklyn Museum is the first survey of the Brooklyn Museum's world-class collection of drawings. It highlights more than 100 masterworks in graphite, charcoal, pen and ink, crayon, and pastel, by some of the most important names in American art from the last three centuries; among the more than 70 artists included are John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West, Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, Edward Hopper, Georgia O Keeffe, and Marsden Hartley. Author Karen A. Sherry begins by putting the collection in context within the broader history of the graphic arts in America. A brief historical overview opens each of the following six thematic sections, with an interpretive entry and colour plate for each drawing. A further essay, by Caitlin Jenkins, focuses on how conservation enhances our understanding of works on paper, with the addition of a glossary of terms defining drawing materials and techniques.