Materials Lab Workshop: Landscape Drawing with Optical Devices
Harvard Art Museums, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA
Join curatorial assistant for special exhibitions and publications Meghan Grady and Harvard physics professor Aravinthan Samuel for a workshop focused on art and science. You’ll first experiment with physical drawing aids, such as perspective frames and camera lucidas, which have helped artists translate complex spaces and details into two dimensions for centuries. Through making, close looking, and a focused gallery visit, participants will explore how such tools work. Grady will share how scientific imaging can inform our understanding of artistic process, accuracy, and style. She researched these techniques for On Location: Drawing the Outdoors, an exhibition featuring 19th-century European drawings and watercolors, and will offer a focused tour explaining how such tools were used in the works on view. Harvard physics professor Aravinthan Samuel will provide an overview of the history of optics in art. During our time together, you’ll create your own gridded frame and take part in a plein air landscape drawing session. You’ll also get the chance to try your hand at applying the devices explored in the workshop. This workshop is one of four offered this fall that explore…