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Study of a Male Nude Académie

Date

1858

Creator

François Bonvin

Location

Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

This study of a nude male figure standing in a dimly lit interior space reveals the Realist artist’s penchant for direct analysis. He carefully renders the model’s anatomy without any attempt to follow a classical canon of proportions or to hide the male genitals. In this, Bonvin is following the direction established by his friend Gustave Courbet, who in his paintings of nude women was not afraid to emphasize a model’s fleshiness, bulky weight, and female attributes. Bonvin’s study also conveys a sense of pensiveness; the figure’s downturned head implies that he is preoccupied with his inner thoughts, even while he poses for the artist. from Weisberg, Breaking the Mold: The Legacy of the Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin Collection of Nineteenth-Century French Art (Notre Dame, 2012)

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This study of a nude male figure standing in a dimly lit interior space reveals the Realist artist’s penchant for direct analysis. He carefully renders the model’s anatomy without any attempt to follow a classical canon of proportions or to hide the male genitals. In this, Bonvin is following the direction established by his friend Gustave Courbet, who in his paintings of nude women was not afraid to emphasize a model’s fleshiness, bulky weight, and female attributes. Bonvin’s study also conveys a sense of pensiveness; the figure’s downturned head implies that he is preoccupied with his inner thoughts, even while he poses for the artist. from Weisberg, Breaking the Mold: The Legacy of the Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin Collection of Nineteenth-Century French Art (Notre Dame, 2012)
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  • This study of a nude male figure standing in a dimly lit interior space reveals the Realist artist’s penchant for direct analysis. He carefully renders the model’s anatomy without any attempt to follow a classical canon of proportions or to hide the male genitals. In this, Bonvin is following the direction established by his friend Gustave Courbet, who in his paintings of nude women was not afraid to emphasize a model’s fleshiness, bulky weight, and female attributes. Bonvin’s study also conveys a sense of pensiveness; the figure’s downturned head implies that he is preoccupied with his inner thoughts, even while he poses for the artist. from Weisberg, Breaking the Mold: The Legacy of the Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin Collection of Nineteenth-Century French Art (Notre Dame, 2012)
  • This study of a nude male figure standing in a dimly lit interior space reveals the Realist artist’s penchant for direct analysis. He carefully renders the model’s anatomy without any attempt to follow a classical canon of proportions or to hide the male genitals. In this, Bonvin is following the direction established by his friend Gustave Courbet, who in his paintings of nude women was not afraid to emphasize a model’s fleshiness, bulky weight, and female attributes. Bonvin’s study also conveys a sense of pensiveness; the figure’s downturned head implies that he is preoccupied with his inner thoughts, even while he poses for the artist. from Weisberg, Breaking the Mold: The Legacy of the Noah L. and Muriel S. Butkin Collection of Nineteenth-Century French Art (Notre Dame, 2012)
François Bonvin (French, 1817 - 1887)
1858
Drawings
Pen, black and brown ink, and gray wash on laid paper
2009.045.024
academies
figures
male
nudes
Not on view, please request access
10 x 5 7/8 in. (25.4 x 14.92 cm)
The Muriel S. and Noah L. Butkin Collection

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at RMMACollections@nd.edu.