Procession of Figures

This drawing titled Procession of Figures and attributed to Masaccio is an 18th or 19th century pen and brown ink drawing with brush and brown wash over graphite on cream wove paper that depicts a procession of figures in the style of the early Renaissance master. Masaccio, whose real name was Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, revolutionized Florentine painting in the early 15th century with his use of linear perspective, chiaroscuro, and monumental figure style, and drawings attributed to him or his workshop are among the most prized works in any collection. The pen and ink with brown wash technique, in which the drawn lines are supplemented by areas of tonal wash that suggest volume and atmosphere, is the characteristic drawing technique of the Renaissance, and this drawing demonstrates the fluid integration of line and tone that distinguishes the best Renaissance draftsmanship. The graphite underdrawing visible beneath the pen and ink suggests a working method in which the composition was first sketched in a soft medium and then refined in the more permanent pen and ink, a practice that was common in Renaissance workshops. The procession of figures, moving across the page in a horizontal composition that suggests a narrative sequence, is a subject that allowed the draftsman to demonstrate his ability to render the human figure in motion and in relation to other figures, the fundamental challenge of Renaissance figure drawing.

Drawings attributed to Masaccio and his circle are among the most important documents for understanding the development of Renaissance figure drawing, and their influence on the practice of figure drawing extends through the academies of the 18th and 19th centuries. The Procession of Figures demonstrates the Renaissance integration of line and tone that remained the foundation of figure drawing instruction for centuries.

An 18th/19th century pen and brown ink drawing with brush wash over graphite on cream wove paper depicting a procession of figures in the style of Masaccio, demonstrating the Renaissance integration of line and tone in a horizontal composition of figures in motion.