Nude of a sitting boy 

Wilhelm Rietschel sketched "Nude of a sitting boy" with pencil on paper. The artwork is one of many academic studies produced in Germany at this time. It would have been used as a tool for learning the craft of drawing, and for understanding anatomy. Such drawings were part of an institutional approach that placed importance on mastering the nude form. The nude male figure has a long history in Western art. In ancient Greece, it represented ideal beauty and strength. During the Renaissance, artists rediscovered classical ideals, and the nude male form became a symbol of human potential. In the early 20th century, the nude became a field for more radical experimentation. Art historians can research the methods and curricula of German art academies in the early 20th century to better understand the institutional context of this drawing. We can then consider the different ways this artwork can be interpreted.