This was a thoroughly delightful exhibition of skill and competence in the graphic field. Combining superb draftsmanship with psychological insight expressed through his medium, the artist gives us a series of portraits of classic figures from the literary and political world of 18th-century France, such as Voltaire and Robespierre. The air of antique charm that envelops these works is not false, but is engendered by the artist’s careful craftsmanship, while his concept of the subject is wholly acceptable to a modern viewer.
Mr. Cornell, born in 1937 and a graduate of Amherst, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Yale, has taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is now teaching at Bowdoin College. One series of interest is the same portrait done in three media––etching, dry-point, and engraving. Each work stands on its own; together, they form a subtle and unique insight into the potentialities of the different media. This was a handsome exhibition.
––H. J. Weeks
