The artistic mind at work is the subject of Canova: Sketching in Clay, now on view at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
The exhibition provides a unique look into the working process of Antonio Canova, Italy’s preeminent sculptor during the Napoleonic era, as he went from rough concept to finished sculpture.
His painstaking process started with clay models where he quickly worked out his ideas, revealing a very physical process of piling, gouging, scraping, digging, and scratching, often leaving deep fingerprints behind. After these initial models, Canova moved on to more refined terracotta versions, often shared with clients for their approval. From there he and his studio would create a larger plaster version to be used as a model for the final sculpture.
These roughly worked terracottas (fired clay) can be surprisingly expressive, resulting in unexpectedly poignant moments, like the anguished Adam and Eve cradling the body of their son, Abel.
Canova insisted on handling the finishing of each statue, refining drapery and curls and smoothing skin. His obsessive attention to detail and neo-classical style made him incredibly in demand with clients at the highest ranks of society, including Napoleon and his family.
The small show is beautifully presented, organized into four rooms, three of which are assembled into themes of portraiture, myths and legends, and monuments and faith. Each features a full-sized sculpture surrounded by terracotta and plaster models. The portraiture room showcases a statue of Napoleon’s mother, known as Madame Mére, along with Canova’s rough initial terracottas, the plaster model that followed, and the final life-sized marble.
Surprisingly, a plaster model for a statue of George Washington is also on view. Canova’s reputation extended to America, where he was commissioned by the North Carolina General Assembly to create a Roman-style statue of the first president for their statehouse.
Other standouts include a gorgeous terracotta of the goddess Hebe caught mid-stride with exquisite windswept drapery clinging to her legs and a gracefully stunning sculpture of Terpsichore Lyran, the muse of lyric poetry.
The Process Room is a must see. An excellent time-lapse video shows Vermont stone carver Fred X. Brownstein as he follows Canova’s steps to recreate the top half of his Venus Italica. A copy of a similar Venus statue stands nearby for reference and wall murals provide additional information. The video is also available on the show’s site.
Canova: Sketching in Clay is organized by the National Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Major support is from the Annenberg Fund for the International Exchange of Art with additional support provided by the Embassy of Italy and under the patronage of the National Committee for the Celebration of the Bicentenary of the Death of Antonio Canova, Ministry of Culture, Rome.
WHERE AND WHEN
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC June 11 – October 9, 2023
https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2023/canova-sketching-in-clay.html
Art Institute of Chicago, Nov. 19, 2023 – March 18, 2024
https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9287/canova-sketching-in-clay
FEATURED IMAGE: Detail from Pope Clement XIV, 1783, painted terracotta. Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova, Possagno. Photographed by Luigi Spina
