Study from the Nude: Man Seated on Ground, with One Leg Extended
Original title: Study from the Nude: Man Seated on Ground, with One Leg Extended
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many nude studies of its period, this 1646 sheet is given over entirely to a single figure: a seated man with one leg bent and the other stretched out long. Rembrandt printed it in two states, and the impression here is the second. The plate measures 9.7 × 6.8 cm; it was etched and afterwards gone over with the burin.
Description
The eye goes first to the seated man, his upper body partly covered while the legs lie bare. Short, curling hair frames the head. Working black on white, dense hatching builds the rounded volumes of the body and gathers light in the hollows. Every line holds its place, tracing sinews, joints and the surface of the skin with anatomical care.
Context
Around 1646 Rembrandt turned more often to the living model, and studies of this kind were made in greater numbers at the time. Some served as preparatory work for paintings; others were sold as independent sheets. The small format points to private use or to a modest circle of collectors. Combining etching with engraving was standard practice in his prints of those years.
Impact
The sheet brings the model close to the viewer, almost as if one were sitting opposite him. The spare linework lends it calm, and the modelling of light and shadow adds to that. The body is recorded plainly and precisely, with nothing idealized. It is just this restraint that gives the small study its appeal.
Technique
An etching lies at the base: the drawing was scratched into the wax ground and the plate exposed to acid. The burin followed, adding the finest lines for detail and shadow. Precisely this reworking distinguishes the second state of the print from the first.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)