The Art of Parmigianino - Tapa dura

The sheer beauty of the work of sixteenth-century artist Parmigianino (1503-40) makes it easy to imagine that he discovered his style without any effort. But nothing so elegant as his drawings and paintings could have been achieved effortlessly. A close study of the artist's work, particularly his drawings, reveals the sources of his style and the creative struggles he endured. This lavishly illustrated book offers a comprehensive reassessment of Parmigianino's work as a draftsman, discussing in detail more than eighty of the artist's works on paper selected from collections around the world. Among Renaissance artists, Parmigianino was perhaps more conscious than any of the potential of the graphic arts to convey, and indeed broadcast, complex ideas. He explored this potential by means of his numerous drawings and through the etchings he produced on his own as well as through the engravings and chiaroscuro that were made after his designs. In these media, the artist's influence travelled farther and wider than it could have through his paintings alone. This book coincides with the quincentenary of the artist's birth in Parma and accompanies an exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, from October 3, 2003 to January 4, 2004, and at the Frick Collection, New York, from January 27 to April 18, 2004.

David Franklin is deputy director and chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada. David Ekserdjian is editor of Apollo magazine.