The few Old Master drawings that have come down to us are irreplaceable, and so fragile that they are rarely placed on show, and being of great interest to collectors, they are often unavailable to the public. So, an exhbition of Boucher drawings from private collections around the world curated by Alastair Laing, (Advisor on Paintings and Sculpture to the National Trust, London) is an event not to be missed.

Co-ordinator of the New York exhibition, Chief Curator Colin B. Bailey, says of the collection "This is a remarkable selection that includes both the unexpected and the unfamiliar and represents Boucher at his fullest and most comprehensive. The compelling variety of works assembled here bears out Jacques-Louis David's praise of his first mentor, 'Not everyone can be a Boucher' ('N'est pas Boucher qui veut.')"

Boucher, born in 1703, was an incredibly prolific artist, producing thousands of drawings both as sketches and finished works in chalk, ink, pastel, preparing drawings for engraving, designing tapestries and painting in oils. His drawing mediums included pen and ink, chalk, pastel, sanguine and trois crayons technique.

You might think of Boucher as old-fashioned, especially if you have only seen the major pieces typically representing him in art history books. But drawing, revealing as it does the artist at work, allows even the most modern viewer to almost see the artist's hand in action. One of the most notable things about Boucher's superb draughtsmanship is energetic, economical line. Grace, beauty and power combine to imubue even quite small works with a striking inner force.

Study of La Flèche (Having His Pockets Searched by Harpagon), c. 1732-34, Two colors of red chalk on paper, with brown ink framing lines, partially excised. 12 1/8 x 7 1/4 in. (30.9 x 18.6 cm) Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (RP-T-1953-202)

Look closely at how Boucher handles details that we might spend ages laboring over: how he describes the essential form in just a few marks. In his 'Study of La Flèche (Having His Pockets Searched by Harpagon)', the modelling of the head is minimal, with just enough tone used to suggest the form and the features conveyed accurately but efficiently. Boucher just hints at the line of the nose and forehead while the darks of eye, nose and chin are brisk and definite.

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