Drawing is an essential element of artmaking. Though drawing is often associated with observation or preparation, the act can also result in a discrete work of art.
Drawn celebrates the important gift of contemporary drawings from Sally and Wynn Kramarsky. These patrons have championed artists and works on paper, specifically, through their collection development, New York City exhibitions, and generous donations. In 2009, the Delaware Art Museum joined a list of public institutions throughout the United States to receive gifts from the donors. This selection brings together artists separated by generations and genres, grounded in the foundational practice of drawing. The distinct artistry of each work exemplifies the diversity and range of non-representational contemporary works on paper.
Artists like Suzanne Bocanegra use drawing as a means of observation and understanding. This work is based on Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael’s 1605 painting, Kitchen Scene with the Parable of the Great Supper. Bocanegra’s drawing is not a direct translation but is instead an accounting of the formal components in the Dutch painting.
Tight, 1993. Sharon Louden (born 1964). Ink and graphite on double sided mylar, 11 × 8 1/2 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of Sally and Wynn Kramarsky, 2009. © Sharon Louden.
Sharon Louden embraces the power of the singular line. She describes its ability to move across the page, becoming “tangled” in itself. This layering creates the illusion of threedimensionality on a flat surface.
Untitled, 1998. Alyson Shotz (born 1964). Mixed media on paper, 9 × 12 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of Sally and Wynn Kramarsky, 2009. © Alyson Shotz.
Alyson Shotz is known for her sculptures that bring attention to our experience of the world around us. The artist uses reflective surfaces to interact with natural and artificial light.
Visit Drawn, on view in gallery 9 from September 23 through December 31, 2023, to see the myriad ways that artists explore drawing.
Margaret Winslow
Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art
Top: Untitled: from Joachim Uytewael’s Kitchen Scene, 2005. Suzanne Bocanegra (born 1957). Found paper and gouache, 23 1/2 × 34 3/4 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of Sally and Wynn Kramarsky, 2009. © Suzanne Bocanegra.