Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1690–1770)Saint Clemens modello for an altarpiece, c. 1730–35, Oil on canvas, 27 3/16 × 21 5/8 in (69 × 55 cm)
PLANNING PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES
Many artists engage in planning and developmental stages for works of art. Although approaches to such planning can be infinitely various, a number of methods have proved fruitful and popular over the centuries. Ideas can be worked up in rough sketches, drawings, finished drawings, and even full-scale rough versions of the more finished work to come. In Italian Renaissance art, cartoons, or full-scale drawings, were used in preparation for frescos and other large-scale works such as tapestries or murals. The use of sketchbooks began almost as soon as paper became available, and they continue to be widely used by artists as a private space where ideas can be explored and problems solved. Sculptors often make preparatory models, called maquettes, for large sculptures.
Preparatory stages can also include presentation pieces for client approval prior to going on to the finished work. Small-scale renderings for approval of proposed projects were known as modellos in Italian art. The same term was used for architectural models of proposed buildings.
Some of the components of an artwork that can be resolved in a preparatory stage:
• Conception
The artist will often toy with a basic idea for a work in sketch stage. Initial sketches can sometimes be thumbnails, tiny blocked outlines of an idea.
• Placement
Sketches and drawings allow the artist to move elements around with ease. Artists may use tracing paper or visualization paper to manipulate multiple layers.
• Tone
A tonal sketch allows the artist to think about the distribution of tone within the work.
• Color
A color sketch can be made to explore color distribution, balance, and activity.
• Engineering
Sculptors may use maquettes to determine balance, giving them a sense of how the work might be engineered successfully.
• Scale and balance
Full-scale color sketches give a good sense of how a painting is going to feel and look. John Constable (1776–1837), for instance, did full-size oil sketches. With their loose handling and strong brushing, they are now sometimes more prized than his finished work.
Some of the most intriguing and interesting insights into the work of individual artists come from their sketchbooks and drawings. Prior to the modern era, such things were rarely exhibited; consequently, they often provide a window into the private realm of the artist.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1690–1770)
Saint Clemens modello for an altarpiece, c. 1730–35, Oil on canvas, 27 3/16 × 21 5/8 in (69 × 55 cm)
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827–75)
Maquette for monument at Valenciennes, 1863–64, Plaster
John Constable (1776–1837)
Dedham Lock sketch, 1819, Oil on paper laid on canvas, 8 3/4 × 10 3/4 in (22.2 × 27.3 cm)
