SMU’s Meadows Museum is currently host to an unprecedented exhibit, “From Manet to Miró: Modern Drawings from the Abelló Collection.” The drawings are from one of Spain’s biggest and most private collections, that of Juan Abelló and his wife, Anna Gamazo. The exhibit, which opened Sept. 14 and runs through Dec. 2, marks the first time the Abelló collection has been shown in the United States.
In Summer 2008, Juan Abelló said that he believes drawing to be “the most immediate and spontaneous form of artistic expression, capable of containing an artist’s entire universe within its lines.” “From Manet to Miró” is a strong display of the truth that lies within that statement.
The 64 works in the collection span the history of modern and contemporary drawing. The exhibit has a strong presence of Spanish artists, such as Joan Miró, but also focuses on French Impressionists, such as Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, and Pierre-August Renoir. The exhibit even features some American art, including a sketch from Andy Warhol.
I’ve always favored French art, so I spent much of my time immersing myself in the faint pencil strokes and soft palettes of the Impressionists, who are defined by their rejection of the traditional artistic methods of their time.
Renoir’s “The Musicians” (1897) appears simple at first glance. The piece is just charcoal on paper, what some might consider a mere shadow of a true Renoir work. But this drawing of two string musicians is a work of art unto itself. It may have been a preliminary sketch, but it stands on its own in this context. It needs no color or texture; Renoir’s strokes provoke the imagination and bring a simple charcoal drawing to life. You can practically hear the classical music being played by the subjects of the portrait.
Alternatively, Degas’ pencil sketches in the three pieces in “Studies of a Nude” (1860) seem incomplete. It was the only work in the exhibit that seemed solely preparatory to me. Though accomplished, the sketches were nothing out of the ordinary and looked like any preliminary drawing found in an art student’s sketchpad. But Degas redeems himself with “Bather Drying Herself” (1895). The pastel on paper piece provides a rare use of color in the exhibit and it works brilliantly. You can almost feel the moisture in the air and sense the motion of the subject within the piece.
“Head of a Peasant Woman,” created in 1884 using pencil, conté crayon, and black chalk on paper, is instantly recognizable as a work of Dutch Impressionist Vincent Van Gogh. The work proves the point of the exhibit, as the drawing seems in no way preliminary to a painting. The drawing is detailed and doesn’t need Van Gogh’s trademark colors and swirls to create a sense of beauty.
Since I favor the Impressionists, I was surprised to discover that my favorite piece in the exhibit was created by a Post-Impressionist, Kees Van Dongen. Post-Impressionism, owing much to Impressionism, is marked by a use of vibrant colors, broken brush strokes, and a depiction of everyday subjects. Van Dongen’s “Provencial Relatives” (1900) is a perfect example of this period of artistic expression. The piece is brought to life using brush, ink, and watercolor on paper. The dark, bold strokes that depict four individuals walking down a street are striking, as is the sparing use of red to color the main female’s hat. The lack of further detail only makes the viewer want to know and see more of the subject. “Provincial Relatives” is a captivating work that captures the eye and forces it to linger.
Not wanting to ignore the Spaniards, I’ll say that I enjoyed the pieces of Joan Miró. His work can best be interpreted as Surrealism, but I would call it a celebration of the juvenile. It appears child-like at first glance, but it’s easy to see that each stroke is purposeful. His pieces are colorful and interesting enough to make the leap from someone’s refrigerator to a gallery.
Overall, the exhibit is well organized and the collection is a wonder to behold. It’s interesting to see the different methods of drawing belonging to different types of artists. The sculptors draw differently than the painters, who draw differently amongst themselves according to their style. It is even fascinating to notice the differences in the materials and papers from different countries and time periods. “From Manet to Miró” is a lovely exhibit that uses raw sketches and drawings to gives viewers a window into the minds of artists while allowing their imaginations to soar.
