Study from a Cast
c. 1884/1886
Medium
graphite on tan wove paper
Dimensions
image: 26.67 × 34.29 cm (10 1/2 × 13 1/2 in.) sheet: 31.5 × 42.7 cm (12 3/8 × 16 13/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
John Davis Hatch Collection
Accession Number
1979.20.39
Art Historical Context
**Study from a Cast** Louis Michel Eilshemi, created around 1884–1886, offers a glimpse into the artist's formative years. This delicate graphite drawing on tan wove paper captures a plaster cast of a classical figure, a staple exercise in 19th-century art academies. Eilshemius, an American painter later celebrated for his dreamlike landscapes and nudes, was then a young student honing his skills after training at New York's Art Students League and in Europe. At just 20–22 years old, he meticulously rendered form and shadow, laying the groundwork for his distinctive, introspective style. The ...