The Male Nude

Lovely  exhibition at the Wallace Collection of 18th century male nude studies from the Paris Academy.

The male body was seen as the embodiment of ideal beauty and many of the models struck poses based on classical statues. At the sittings the better connected students got the better seats nearer the front and a passing lecturer pointed out to me how you could tell from the drawing how close they were. Thanks to her as well for explaining the numbers on some of the pictures which showed the terms prize winners.

I loved the series of three drawings from the same sitting all from slightly different angles. I am sure a fourth one next to them is from the sitting as well. It is a picture from the front and I don’t think it is a crouching man as the title suggested but a man in the same pose as the other back views.

I also liked the ones which had been dressed up as gods such as the man at an odd angel rebranded as falling Titan or the standing figure given a wreath and called Bacchus!

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