Academic Nude Drawings and Watercolors

Academic drawing: L'Écorché by Houdon. Italian school. 19th century. 59x44cm This represents the statue of the écorché by the French sculptor Houdon. Sculpture - Anatomical model o...

Superb neoclassical drawing representing a nude of man. The pastel enhanced design is sign and framed .

Academic drawing: L'Écorché by Houdon. Italian school. 19th century. 59x44cm This represents the statue of the écorché by the French sculptor Houdon. Sculpture - Anatomical model of the male body, later transformed into numerous plate casts used by painters for the study and practice of anatomy. 19th century. 59 cm x 44 cm. Charcoal on paper. Good conservation conditions with small defects in the margins. The drawing depicts a man with a raised hand, without skin to show in detail his underlying muscles. Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828), French sculptor created this model in 1867, during his stay in Rome at the Académie de France He worked on a monumental religious...

This academic drawing, created on brown paper, depicts the renowned statue of Mercury by Giambologna, one of the most celebrated works of the Italian Renaissance. XIX century. Charcoal on brown paper. The original bronze sculpture, completed in 1565, portrays Mercury, the messenger of the gods, in a dynamic and graceful pose, with one foot barely touching the ground. He is depicted wearing winged sandals, a helmet, and holding the caduceus, the staff entwined with serpents symbolizing peace and prosperity. The original statue of Mercury is housed at the Bargello Museum in Florence, with a notable replica on display in the Boboli Gardens. In 19th-century academies, like the Accademia Albertina, plaster casts of classical and Renaissance statues were commonly used as study models for students of drawing and sculpture. This drawing showcases the academic focus on detail and the skillful use of chiaroscuro to recreate the three-dimensionality of the figure. This drawing is part of a collection of 19th-century charcoal studies from the Accademia Albertina in Turin, illustrating the use of black and brown charcoal on paper to represent classical sculptures. This Italian 19th-century drawing of a standing classical plaster sculpture...

Gladiator from Borghese Gallery. Mid XIX century academic drawing. Black charcoal on paper. Dimensions : cm 65 x cm 48 Statue of a gladiator from the Borghese Gallery. Excellent...

Academic study of male naked figure and hands. Italian drawing , late 19th century. Sanguine and charcoal on paper. Framed and protected with glass. Some imperfections.

Academic study of a child's hands and feet. Nineteenth century. Drawing on slightly bluish gray paper. Anatomical studies are preparations for a painting or fresco with children or a...

This framed 21" x 19" drawing by artist James Cobb, 'Erika in Gesture I,' captures the female model in a seated pose. The model is seated with her legs tuck...

A very pure and tender rendition of a female nude. Elegant in its simplicity, the artist's model, is warming herself by a large stove! It is a work by Tito Lessi dating from circa 1890. Lessi was born in Florence, Italy and studied at the Florentine Academy of Fine Arts, under Enrico Pollastrini and Antonio Ciseri...

James Tissot was among the most successful and critically acclaimed artists of the Victorian era. Although the artist is celebrated for his elegant scenes of fashionable life in Paris and London, this work is a fascinating rarity within his oeuvre. In this monumental pastel, Tissot depicts a prehistoric woman draped in a tiger skin, presented with a striking pose and heroic air. His delicate portraiture, combined with his fascination with conveying texture, demonstrates why he was one of the most revered artists of his generation, and La femme préhistorique illustrates the remarkable technique for which he was renowned. This work was completed in preparation for a series of works exploring the Old Testament undertaken by Tissot from 1899-1902 that remained unfinished at the time of his death. A portion of this series focused on illustrations of Adam and Eve, and among these sketches were images of a nude Eve partially draped in animal furs. Towards the end of his life, following his conversion to Catholicism, biblical subjects became important to the artist. A few years before this work was completed, Tissot embarked upon a highly ambitious group of nearly 300 watercolors illustrating the New Testament, presenting the illustrated epic in its entirety at the Paris Salon of 1894. Both of these series were a critical artistic departure for the artist, stemming from a desire to create works separated from his typical images of modern society. This pastel imagines Eve as the prototype of womanhood in the guise of a prehistoric woman. Tissot rarely painted the nude, and his skill as a draftsman highlights the figure's natural beauty, contrasting it with the stark landscape surrounding her. Although a study, this monumental work is incredibly well-finished and highly engaging, with the statuesque model commanding the majority of the canvas. Her pose is strong and theatrical, and she addresses the viewer with a direct, confident gaze. The imagined historical subject of this drawing is grounded by Tissot’s exceptional attention to detail. A master of conjuring an array of textures, Tissot showcased this ability in this work by juxtaposing many types of fabrics and natural elements within one composition. The tiger skin with which the woman partially covers herself was a favorite studio prop of Tissot’s, appearing in many of his most influential works from the period, including several paintings of his partner and favorite model Kathleen Newton. It, in particular, showcases the artist’s understanding of texture, yet it also serves as an exotic element that elevates the sensuality of the scene when placed against the woman’s bare skin. Born in 1836 in the port town of Nantes, Tissot traveled to Paris at the age of 20 in order to join the studios of Hippolyte Flandrin and Louis Lamothe. During this period, he became close with James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, and the impact of these friendships is reflected in his portraits of modern life. Having enjoyed considerable success in Paris during the 1860s, Tissot fought in the Siege of Paris, and after the fall of the Commune in 1871, he went to London, where he stayed for the next ten years. He was met with incredible success there, and he also met the love of his life, Kathleen Newton, a divorcée, with whom he lived from about 1876 until her death in 1882. Today he is regarded among the great masters of Belle Époque painting, and his works can be found in important collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Musée d’Orsay, the Tate Gallery and many others. This pastel remained in Tissot's private collection until his death in 1902 and is referenced in the posthumous 1902-3 valuation of Tissot's home at 64 avenue du Bois...

Work on paper Study on the back of the work

Work on paper

Work on watercolor paper

Stunning light-infused male nude study with high contrast that creates a tension between the connected proportions of the body. The nude has a stately demeanor even though it's mostl...

At once sensual and elegant, this remarkable watercolor is the work of Scottish painter Sir William Russell Flint. One of the most celebrated watercolorists of the 20th century, Flin...