ImagineFX_Issue_150_August_2017

Breenbergh draw a

male nude in charcoal,

before adapting it for

his 1646 painting

Venus Mourning the

Death of Adonis.

Detail from one of the

160 images that appear

in Marta’s latest book.

F

T

ollowing the success of her

first volume of sketchbook

art, award-winning

Spanish illustrator and

concept artist Marta Nael is back with

a new collection.

Whereas Marta’s work is usually

underpinned with fantasy elements,

Sketchbook 2 plays it straight for the

most part with traditional life-drawing

pieces. This collection is filled with

more than 160 paintings and is divided

he artwork that came out of

the Golden Age of Dutch

Painting is renowned

for its dedication to

traditions of detailed realism. This

comprehensive book explores the

important role drawing played in the

creation of Dutch masterpieces.

The book begins with three essays

by international scholars that give an

overview of the period and insights

into the creative process behind Dutch

Sketchbook 2 Marta Nael

Drawings for Paintings in the Age of Rembrandt

SenSuAl SkeTcheS Marta Nael explores vibrant colours in

her new collection of beautiful and personal sketchbook artwork

duTch drAFTS This illustrated scholarly catalogue digs deep into

the working practices of the Dutch masters in an accessible way

into three main themes, each of which

display unique stylistic flourishes.

Every image is named and dated so

the reader can track the development

of Marta’s work, and they all list the

tools and mediums used should you

want to try your hand replicating her

style. There’s no denying the quality of

Marta’s illustrations, with their use of

negative space and bold colours. Even

from the opening pages her talent is

painting. At once both entertaining

and educational, these essays are just

as readable for newcomers as they are

informative to experts on the subject.

The rest of this hefty hardback is

dedicated to a catalogue of Dutch

painters that runs through major

figures of the time and shows how

their pencil drawings sketched in the

field laid the foundations for paintings

plain to see, and it’s a joy to watch her

artwork evolve throughout the book.

However, It would have been nice to

get more of an insight into Marta’s

working methods and further

explanations of the themes. As it

stands, readers are left with only the

occasional step-by-step look into how

her beautiful images were created.

rATing ★★★

created back in the studio. Considering

that mastery of drawing was one of

the founding principles of Dutch art,

it’s unusual that it’s taken until now for

the first in-depth study of the topic to

make its way into print. It’s been worth

the wait though, as this book covers

everything you need to know.

rATing ★★★★★

Author Marta Nael Publisher Babylon Editions Price £17 Web http://ifxm.ag/babylon-ed Available Now

Authors Ger Luijten, Peter Schatborn and Arthur Wheelock, Jr Publisher Skira Price £50 Web http://www.skira.net Available Now

Inspiration Books

August 2017 99