Artwork Page for Seated Male Nude

Details / Information for Seated Male Nude

Seated Male Nude

c. 1516–20

Baccio Bandinelli

(Italian, 1493–1560)
Culture
Italy, 16th century
Medium
red chalk
Support
Beige(2) laid paper, lined with Japanese paper
Measurements
Sheet: 40 x 23.7 cm (15 3/4 x 9 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1998.6
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Bandinelli's drawing of a moody nude combines his knowledge of ancient sculpture and paintings by Michelangelo with observation from life.

Description

Both Baccio Bandinelli and Michelangelo made figure drawing the foundation of their artistic and inventive processes. In this drawing, Bandinelli reimagined one of Michelangelo’s ignudi, the athletic male nudes that decorate the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Probably drawing from a live model, Bandinelli combined controlled, defined lines and smudges to create a massively muscled form, that, like Michelangelo’s figures, refers to ancient sculpture as well as to knowledge of anatomy. His use of red chalk—Michelangelo’s preferred medium for sketching the ignudi—suggests that he sought to compare his own prowess in the medium to that of the better-known master.
A vertically oriented red chalk drawing, a dry medium applied with precise hatching to an octagonal sheet, on pale brown paper depicts a muscular nude man. Seated on a ledge, he pulls his right knee toward his chest, hands clasping his shin. His left leg extends downward while he turns his head to our left. Shading and fine lines define his anatomy against the plain background.

Seated Male Nude

c. 1516–20

Baccio Bandinelli

(Italian, 1493–1560)
Italy, 16th century

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