New Volume Delves into the Interconnectedness of Drawings and Prints

For centuries, drawings and prints existed in tandem in Europe.

They coevolved, facilitating the production of one another, and each medium generated new work in the other. Oftentimes, prints and drawings were stored, collected, viewed, and discussed together, the lines of distinction between them blurring. This relationship between the two media was forged by their similarities—visual, kinetic, and material. Drawings and prints, both paper-based media, are used to convey form, volume, and light. Many artists created drawings specifically intended for translation into print, and an even greater number used prints as a training tool, copying from them to hone drawing skills. This reciprocal relationship goes even deeper, however, as innovative artists made fascinating hybrid works that blurred the boundaries, pushing against modern definitions and hierarchies.

Lines of Connection (J. Paul Getty Museum, $40) charts these historical and geographical continuities for the first time by bringing together works on paper of superb quality, foregrounding issues of artistic process and collaboration, technical innovation, and creative ingenuity. Featuring over 170 prints and drawings by such artists as Albrecht Dürer, Parmigianino, Hendrick Goltzius, Maria Sibylla Merian, Rembrandt van Rijn, and William Blake, this catalogue is a rich narrative introduction to the compelling, yet understudied, relationship between drawing and printmaking.

This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at The Art Institute of Chicago from March 15 to June 1, 2025, and at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center from July 1 to September 14, 2025.