Christ Church Picture Gallery's exhibition will explore how artists used coloured paper surfaces to give their drawings more spatial depth: from preparing their papers with pastel-coloured chalk grounds, as described in Cennino Ceninni’s famous artists’ handbook of 1437, to the readily produced blue paper (carta azzurra), made famous by artists in Venice. The exhibition includes works by Jacopo Bassano, Tintoretto, Bronzino, but also by lesser-known artists whose artistic curiosity and playfulness are expressed on coloured grounds.

The exhibition runs from 31 July to 11 November 2024. Opening hours, and further information about visiting, are here.