The Luster of Silver: Contemporary Metalpoint Drawings August 20, 2009

Co-curated by participating artists Koo Schadler and Jeannine Cook, the project explores a subtle and lesser known but incredibly beautiful drawing technique. The medium referred to as silverpoint is the technique of drawing with a metal stylus. Although it has been used to inscribe surfaces since Classical times, silverpoint - or as it is more generally called "metalpoint" - was expressly employed in drawing from the late 14th century up to the early 17th century and was particularly favored in the Renaissance period in Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. Master artists Raphael, Durer, Holbein, Rembrandt, and Rubens all used silverpoint in drawing studies. Through the concerted efforts of a growing number of contemporary artists, this medium is today enjoying its own Renaissance, as realist artists are finding new ways to explore, refine and make it their own.