The Artist’s Line: Drawings by Pierre Daura from the Collection is on view August 19 through November 20, 2015, in the Harnett Print Study Center.
The exhibition focuses on the evolution of the artist’s techniques and style of drawing over his lifetime. Daura’s works on paper are mostly comprised of studies of his wife Louise and daughter Martha, sketches of the landscape of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France, and etchings in response to the Spanish Civil War. The richness of his art reflects the diverse experiences of his life. Selected from a major gift of more than 228 works of art to the Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center from the artist’s daughter, Martha Randolph Daura, the exhibition of drawings highlights the major themes of Daura’s long career as an artist.
Featured in the exhibition are Daura’s drawings created after his discharge from the Spanish Civil War following injuries that he sustained, as well as sketches near his home in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, France. The key figures in his etchings are modeled after early sketches of Martha and Louise. These pieces represent the repercussions of the Spanish Civil War, such as the loss of family — particularly children — as seen in the etchings. One of his drawings from 1933, Martha’s Siesta, features Martha’s profile as she is taking a nap during the day. This sketch was later used for the central figure of a girl lying in a bed in the etching The Innocent Victims of Valde, from the series Civilisation 1937.
Other highlights of the exhibition include Daura’s drawings of the figure and nature studies. These drawings reveal the artist’s continued interest in figure studies, the human form, and his appreciation of nature.
The exhibition was organized by the University of Richmond Museums and co-curated by Richard Waller, Executive Director, University Museums, and Sequioa Roscoe, ’16, University of Richmond, 2015 Harnett Summer Research Fellow, and 2015-2016 curatorial assistant, University Museums. The exhibition is made possible in part with funds from the Louis S. Booth Arts Fund.
