Study of a Seated Nude Male
Medium
Graphite
Dimensions
11 9/16 x 14 15/16 in. (29.3 x 38 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1961
Accession Number
61.128
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, a leading figure of French Neoclassicism, created this graphite drawing as a careful study of the human form. Known for his precise draftsmanship and reverence for classical ideals, Ingres frequently produced such works to explore anatomy and pose before incorporating figures into larger paintings. The seated male nude reflects his lifelong fascination with the body as a vehicle for ideal beauty, echoing the balanced proportions of ancient sculpture and Renaissance masters like Raphael. Executed solely in graphite on paper, the medium allowed Ingres to achieve d...
About the Artist
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres · 1780–1867
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was born on 29 August 1780 in Montauban, in the Tarn-et-Garonne region of southern France, into a family with deep artistic and musical connections — his father was a painter, sculptor, and musician. He showed exceptional promise from childhood, enrolling at the Académie Royale in Toulouse where he studied under the sculptor Jean-Pierre Vigan, the landscape painter Je...