Giorgio Vasari's Calvary Skirmish

While researching Renaissance drawings, I found out that in the 14th century artists began to use paper more and more to draw (Bambach,“ Renaissance Drawings: Material and Function”). Artists prepared their paintings or sculptures with quick drawings. Since the drawings were done quickly, very little detail was captured, but, was done to get a broad idea of where to begin. It allowed viewers to see the creative thinking process of the artist as well. This is why I would like to discuss Giorgio Vasari’s Calvary Skirmish and how it illustrates a creative thinking process. It was common in the 14th century of Renaissance artist 's to do drawings or sketches in preparation of a painting or sculpture. Paper became more available as well as a wider range of tools which, encouraged artists to draw ("Drawing"). This was a common thing for artists to do in this era. It was a starting point for artists to get an idea of where to begin, what to base the piece on, and the placement of where everything would go. According to Giorgio Vasari, ”that excellence in art derives from careful observation” (Dittmann, “Giorgio Vasari”). Drawing was that observation on paper. Giorgio Vasari’s, Calvary Skirmish, is a perfect example of Renaissance drawings. It is a preliminary sketch in which Vasari depicts an idea of what he …show more content…
It gives the viewers an insight on the creative thinking process of the artist. One online source mentioned, “This exploratory type of drawing offers a vivid and intimate glimpse of the artist creatively thinking on paper” (Bambach, “Renaissance Drawings”). It does just that. With such a drawing, we are able to get a better understanding of the artist’s perception on a subject. We get to view some steps that were taken in order to get to that point. By asking ourselves a few questions regarding the drawing, we are able to get a better insight on the