Trio of exhibitions unveiled at Scottish art gallery

Richard Wawro, (1952-2006), Winter, 1966, Crayon drawing. Image: The McManus Art Gallery and Museum, Dundee

The largest of the exhibitions is “Draw the Line: Old Masters to the Beano”, which features several creative aspects across many mediums. Draw the Line focuses upon figure studies and portraiture, as well as preparatory sketches, landscape and topography by contemporary and historic artists.

In addition to the artwork, this exhibition highlights Dundee’s heritage as a city of journalism by displaying original drawings from The Beano taken from the DC Thomson publishing archives.

Bob Duncan, the chairperson of Leisure & Culture Dundee, said: “The City’s art collection is an outstanding resource, the range and quality of which is highlighted in the ongoing series of annual displays which explore different areas of the collection.

“This year’s focus on drawing has an astounding one hundred and fifty artworks on display. There is so much to explore and something for everyone to enjoy. “

Those interested in pencil-and-paper creations will find much to appreciate in the “Taking a Line for a Walk” display. With an emphasis on the freedom that is brought by working with pencil, the display has both playful and ambitious works of art by artists including Massimo Bartolini, Franziska Furter and James Gunn.

“Work in Progress: From Paper to Paint” gives a glimpse into the time-consuming working processes that go into the creation of oil paintings. In addition, this exhibition also reveals the important role that drawing plays in creating preparatory sketches for work to be completed with other media.

One of the highlights of the Work in Progress exhibition is a study by Rossetti for one of the attendants in his world famous work “Dante’s Dream on the Day of the Death of Beatrice”. The display also includes a pen and ink sketch by William McTaggart, famous for creating many of his works without first using a preparatory sketch.

Susan Keracher, Curator at The McManus, added: “In a fast-paced world, the act of drawing – however basic our skills - slows us down, encouraging us to really look at the world around us.

“The most basic form of communication, drawing, remains a vital part of an artist’s practice. There is so much here to reflect on.”

Visitors to the free entry exhibitions are also encouraged to interact with the artists’ quotes scattered around the galleries by using the #DrawMcManus hashtag on social media.

Draw the Line: Old Masters to The Beano will run until Autumn 2016. Work in Progress: From Paper to Paint is available until Sunday 31 January 2016 and Taking a Line for a Walk continues until Sunday 17 April 2016.

All three exhibitions are open from 10am-5om Monday to Saturday and 12:30pm until 4:30pm on Sundays.