Seated Male Nude with Arm over Head, Seen from the Side
probably c. 1754/1765
Medium
black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall (approximate): 9.2 x 7.9 cm (3 5/8 x 3 1/8 in.) support: 15.6 x 21.5 cm (6 1/8 x 8 7/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Julius S. Held Collection, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1984.3.43
Art Historical Context
Hubert Robert, the celebrated 18th-century French artist known as "Robert desines" for his evocative landscapes of ancient architecture, created this intimate drawing of a *Seated Male Nude Arm over Head, Seen from the Side* around 1754–1765. Executed in black chalk on laid paper the modest 9.2 x 7.9 cm sheet captures a figure study likely made during Robert's formative years in Rome, where he immersed himself in classical antiquity and the vibrant art scene from 1754 to 1765. This side-view sketch exemplifies the academic tradition of life drawing, essential for mastering human anatomy amid ...
About the Artist
Hubert Robert · 1733–1808
Hubert Robert, born on May 22, 1733, in Paris, emerged from a modest background; his father, Nicolas Robert, served the influential Choiseul family, whose patronage shaped the young artist's path. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Navarre in 1751, he entered the atelier of sculptor Michel-Ange Slodtz, who taught him design and perspective before encouraging a shift to painting....