Lumière Contemporary Art Gallery is proud to welcome an international group of artists and distinguished draftspeople, with their works on figurative drawing from live models. The artists had responded to the Gallery’s Open Call with the theme The Nude, shadow, and light.
As artistic endeavour, drawing is almost as old as humankind. The history of drawing can be traced back to prehistoric times when early humans used cave walls as a canvas to display their art. These cave paintings, dating back thousands of years, primarily depicted animals and scenes from everyday life.
As civilisation came into its own, drawing was elevated to a fundamental form of communication and expression across various cultures. Ancient Egyptians used drawings to tell stories and document historical events on the walls of temples and tombs. In ancient Greece, drawing was considered a crucial skill for artists and played a significant role in their artistic development.
In the West, the history of drawing as an art piece in its own right began toward the end of the 14th century. If its development was independent, however, it was not insular. Just as, for the most part, the greatest draftspeople have also been distinguished painters, illustrators, sculptors, or architects, so too the centres and the high points of drawing have generally coincided with the leading localities and the major epochs of the other arts. During the Renaissance period in Europe, drawing emerged as a distinct art form, with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo creating remarkable works that emphasized anatomical accuracy and three-dimensional representation. The drawing was closely associated with the study of proportions, perspective, and the human figure. From Michelangelo’s hand came the first so-called connoisseur drawings that are esteemed as a « personal document ». They are the precursors of the collector’s drawings that began in the later 16th century (autonomous works, destined for collections).
Throughout history, drawing has served as a means of communication, storytelling, and self-expression. It continues to be an essential tool for artists, designers, architects, and many others, allowing them to capture ideas and emotions. The drawing process, itself, is meditative, enriching, and edifying.
Drawing remains the foundation for all types of fine art, including painting and sculpture, as well as architecture.
Honouring this revered tradition, cherished by humanity from the dawn of time, our group of distinguished artists includes:
Arthur Dujols-Luquet , Anna Kozyreva , Claire Albertini, Christian Ferdinand, Emeline Zeller , Irina Pakhmutova , Jean-François Eveno , Nils Desmoulins Nour Awada, Pierre Charpentier, Philippe Deny, Philippe Torrecilla, Sebastian Henao , Xinbei Wang
