As the Macao Special Administrative Region approaches its 20th anniversary this year, the Macao Museum of Art and the British Museum are jointly presenting in Macao a selection of drawings held by the British Museum that are the work of Renaissance artists.

The “Italian Renaissance Drawings from the British Museum” exhibition features in aggregate 52 original drawings variously attributed to a total of 42 renowned artists active in the period of the 15th and 16th centuries, the middle phase of the Italian Renaissance.

Works from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael – collectively known as ‘The Big Three’ – are featured in the exhibition. There are also works from Ghirlandaio, a teacher of Michelangelo; Correggio, who greatly influenced the style of many artists in the subsequent Baroque period and the Rococo – or “Late Baroque” – period. Also represented is Titian, an exponent of the Venetian school of painting.

The exhibition has six sections: the Human Figure; Movement; Light; Costume and Drapery; the Natural World; and Storytelling.

Concepts of humanism – placing people at the centre of things rather than a deity – permeate Renaissance art, leading practitioners to develop rules of perspective in order faithfully to express the sense of physical depth of a space. Such artists commonly utilise the technique of chiaroscuro – involving contrasts of light and dark – in order to give the impression of volume and a sense of three dimensions to the subjects being portrayed.

Drawing – a cornerstone of Italian Renaissance art – demands a lot of time from practitioners, not to mention repeated trial and error during the creative process, until the work is perfected.

The 52 drawings are being exhibited in Macao for the first time.

The exhibition includes a selection of 3D, printed renderings based on the subject matter featured in some of the drawings. Visitors are permitted to touch the 3D items, in order to provide an inclusive experience for exhibition-goers; and to stimulate – within a museum setting – visitors’ senses other than simply asking them to look at objects.

The exhibition presenters have supported it with an extensive public information programme. The aim is to enable various groups of people to have a better understanding of Renaissance art and the artists of the period. The programme includes curator-guided tours; hands-on tours of the 3D rendering section of the exhibition; drawing workshops; explanatory courses; special activities for children; and support for the visually-impaired.

The exhibition “Italian Renaissance Drawings from the British Museum” is open until 30 June at the Macao Museum of Art. It gives a modern-day audience an opportunity for a rare glimpse into the creative process of some of the Italian painters of the Renaissance period.