For the visual artist, the precision of a line or the placement of a hand often begins in a fervor of shifting paradigms: a stream of consciousness, a circling of squares and a squelching of the internal editor. The sketch — the drawing on paper — functions in the creative process as a means to another end; it can be a way to explore ideas and designs for larger works in other media such as painting, print or architecture. A drawing can also be significant as a finished work in itself. A recently-opened exhibit at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, “On Line: European Drawings, 16th - 19th Centuries” explores this expressive medium and the incredible insight that drawings offer into the minds — and hands — of the artist who made them.

Curator of Western Art Andria Derstine, who organized the exhibit, explained: “Drawing is basic to the arts. Artists start with getting their ideas on paper. It really is their initial thoughts.”

The exhibit highlights selected works from the Allen’s permanent collection that haven’t been displayed in several years. Because of drawings’ sensitivity to light, they are stored in boxes for protection.

“This was an extraordinary opportunity to get them all out,” said Derstine. “There hasn’t been a big drawing show in at least five years, so this was a way for me to see what we had, and it was also was also a chance for a new generation of Oberlin students to see them.”

A compelling survey of master draftsmanship, the exhibit highlights 162 works on paper dating between 1500 and 1911 from all the major schools in Europe. It offers a broad yet intimate view of a wide range of themes and techniques in varied stages of completion and for varied purposes.

The exhibition, which is organized chronologically, opens with a sketch by Fillipino Lippi done in 1500. The sketch served as a preparatory study for a painting depicting the lamentation of Christ at the tomb. In the work, two angels surround the figure of Christ — one holding the crown of thorns, the other, three nails. In the left hand corner, there is an outline of a spear, another symbol affiliated with the death of Christ that, as an addition to the composition, the artist seems to have reconsidered. Sketchy and faint lines also surround certain features, such as the angels’ wings and Christ’s hands, in an effort to reorient them compositionally. Such a sketch shows us the process of an artist constantly modifying a work in progress.

“You can really see the artist working the ideas out. It’s fun to feel like you’re connecting with the artist’s thoughts,” said Derstine.

In addition to religious themes, drawings are based on historical narratives, inviting the viewer to “spend time with the work, really see the details.” When Derstine uncovered a drawing done by Louis-Philibert Debucourt, she initially could find little background with its given title, “Cardinal de Rouen.” However, in studying the historical context implied within the work itself, she was able to correct the files and identify the title and subject study instead as “The Cardinal de Rohan.” The graphite and colored pencil drawing illustrates this figure, opulent and grand, pointing to a document — “Gestures are never arbitrary,” Derstine noted. On the document, she was able to decipher the words “Monumenté levé...de Turenne.” Upon further research of this monument erected for Turenne, a great military figure under Louis IV, she was able to connect the patronage of it to the Cardinal de Rohan. Other images of the Cardinal confirmed that it was indeed him in Debucourt’s 1783 drawing.

Drawings were also based on the natural world, including plants and animals. Jean-Baptiste Oudry, who specialized in still life painting, presents a 1720s black and white chalk drawing, “Bear Seen From Behind.”

“It’s like he’s sneaking up on it from behind. It’s intimate and subtle,” said Derstine.

John Ruskin, who was a writer and social critic as well as an artist, believed that the beauty in nature could only truly be found in the most essential elements that composed it, such as rocks or grains of sand. His 1870s drawing, “Gold in Oxide of Iron,” is a detailed study that explores this mentality.

The exhibition also explores the study of human forms and portrait types in sketch form. Artists who were being formally trained began to learn their craft by first studying the nude. One of the later works on view is “Portrait of Madame Thiers” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The drawing concentrates primarily on the details of the face and the solemn expression that is being communicated.

“I just love the way she is looking at us,” said Derstine.

In comparison, the body of the figure is much more sketchy and outlined.

“[Ingres] can work out the drapery on his own time when he gets back to the studio,” said Derstine. One of the younger works in the show, dated 1911, is Egon Schiele’s “Girl With Black Hair.” His final painting was lost, but “often a sketch can be a reminder, especially if it feels like a finished work.”

Contrary to Schiele’s often overtly sexualized female bodies, this sketch focuses in on facial details, austere and somewhat impenetrable, while the breasts and torso are left to be a bit more finished.

An exhibit such as this one often propels new research, which in turn prompts a teaching museum such as the Allen to further strengthen its holding. In consideration of this, Derstine will teach a second module course organized around the drawings collection that is currently on view. The course will focus in on the questions that the medium of drawing raises, from technique to materials used, in order to understand the role sketching plays in the creative process of the visual arts as a whole.