How did the Impressionists turn humble works on paper into fine art?

The exhibition exploring Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works on paper at the Royal Academy makes you look closer and allows you to see the artist’s hand.

Edgar Degas, Dancers on a Bench, c. 1898. Pastel on tracing paper, 53.7 x 75.6 cm. Lent by Glasgow Life (Glasgow Museums) on behalf of Glasgow City Council.  Bequeathed by William McInnes, 1944. Photo: © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection

Ever wondered who dusted the room after Degas finished yet another of his pastels? I will tell you who. Not Degas. His, very annoyed, housekeeper. So we are told by one of the curators of the new show Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec at the Royal Academy of Arts.

I have a parent’s confession. I have knowingly steered my art-loving child to pencils for the sake of less mess. I have always felt a little guilty for not encouraging her to be big and bold with acrylics or even watercolours. However, this exhibition shows that there is no medium too humble for a true artist. We have the Impressionists to thank for that – or so this show suggests.

Mary Cassatt, Portrait de Marie-Thérèse Gaillard, 1894. Pastel on paper, 51 x 54 cm. Private collection. Photo: © 2007 Christie’s Images Limited

Impressionists transformed the status of works on paper. Previously considered mere studies, they evolved into self-standing works of art in the late 19th-century France. I think we may be forgetting the likes of Durer and Leonardo, for both of them works on paper were of equal if not of more significant importance for their art. But as far as the 19th century art establishment went – yes, painting was the king. Paper was always secondary.

Impressionists are known for making images of quick observations - of landscape, everyday life, or night-time entertainment. These were no longer posed portraits and therefore required speed and mobility. Portability and spontaneity seem to be the main reasons that works on paper came out of the sketchbook. But it was their sell-ability that endeared the art dealers. Impressionist era saw the rise of both avant-garde artist and an industrialist collector – brought together by an enterprising art dealer.

Edgar Degas, Lyda, Woman with a Pair of Binoculars, c. 1866-68, oil over graphite on paper, Collection of David Lachenmann. Photo by the author at Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2023.

Salons continued to show oil paintings, while galleries and critics started to pay attention to what was happening on paper. Because it is on paper that the most private and the most adventurous thoughts come to their visual expression. Baudelaire – a prominent art critic of the time – suggested that Boudin’s pastel landscapes had the ‘eloquence of opium’. Works on paper have that immediacy and intimacy – that suggestion of the ‘artist’s hand’ that no other medium can compete with. And it can be very seductive and addictive.

The exhibition begins with Boudin’s pastel Sunset over the Sea, c.1860-70. It then takes you through waves, exploring various types of works on paper. From their subject matter to technique and material, no two works seem alike. Some are carefully observed, others appear almost expressionist – that is way in advance of their time.  The little booklet the RA provides at the entrance, instead of the customary room texts, gives us a glossary of technical terms. Conté crayon, fabricated chalk, metalpoint drawing, reed pens, wove paper and many other wonderful terms that you can, but don’t need to, learn to appreciate this exhibition even more.

Federico Zandomeneghi, Study of a Woman from Behind, 1890-97. Pastel on cardboard, 48 x 38 cm. Galleria D'Arte Moderna, Milan. Photo: © Comune di Milano – All Rights Reserved

One thing that unites all works on paper is just how hard they are to store and display. That is why none of the works in this exhibition are usually on permanent display. That is also why the light in the show is slightly dimmed. Too much light is dangerous for paper. So, most of these works spend eternities inside museum and private archives. All the more exciting then to see them all lined up at the RA.

The exhibition dates overlap with those of Marina Abramović show also at the RA. But if you thought the Impressionists would be a demurer choice of the two – think again. While there are no live performances taking place – there is certainly a lot of nudity in close private spaces. There is a sense of voyeurism with both exhibitions. With Abramović you, as a viewer, are placed in front of a naked person – a willing performance artist. Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec’s nude drawings force you to consider the circumstances of the models they depicted. Now ask yourself – which one is more uncomfortable?

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Woman with a Black Boa, 1892, Essence (diluted oil paint) on cardboard, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Gifted by the Comtesse Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec, mother of the artist, 1902. Photo by the author at Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2023.

My favourite works include the two artists from the exhibition title and two others. First is Degas’s Lyda, Woman with a Pair of Binoculars, c.1866-68, and second is Toulouse-Lautrec’s Woman with a Black Boa, 1892 – both are depictions of women who seem to take charge of their own lives. The two others are Paul Signac’s Woman Sewing (Study for ‘The Milliners’), 1885 and Albert Lebourg’s The Artist’s wife and Mother-in-Law Reading a Letter by Candlelight, c. 1878-79. The last two are about intimacy and private space.

These two contrasting depictions of women also display the variety of techniques that in a way align with their subject matters. The two femme-fatales are in sticking and rich combinations of oil, graphite, and diluted oil. While the two quieter scenes are in hazy and mysterious black conté crayon and charcoal. All four are done in shades of black and gray, but to such dramatically different effect.

Vincent van Gogh, The Fortifications of Paris with Houses, 1887. Graphite, black chalk, watercolour and gouache on paper, 38.7 x 53.4 cm. Photo: © The Whitworth, The University of Manchester. Photography: Michael Pollard

But it is not all black and white. There is much more colour in the landscapes. From delicate to magnificent, from detailed to roughly sketched the artists seem to have enjoyed every mark. But would you recognise the artist without looking at the wall text? Some of the names will be very familiar. Degas, Cezanne, Monet, Van Gogh. Some are more specialist like Toulouse-Lautrec, Morisot, Sisley, Seurat, Cassat, Signac. Yet others are almost completely unknown outside of art circles such as Boudin, Guillaumin, Schuffenecker, Lebourg.

Drawings and other works on paper require quite a different set of skills from both artists and audience – a particular attention to detail. There are around five Van Gogh’s works – I think I would realise only one or two of them were by him, the rest are quite a surprise. It is an exhibition where you will be going from ‘ah yes, of course’, to ‘ah no, really?’ It is also an exhibition where you will need to look closely, because it is the details that you don’t want to miss.