Study of a Man 

This is Alfred Stevens' "Study of a Man," a drawing whose date is, for now, unknown. Here we see the human form, seemingly captured in mid-motion within an orb. The image immediately brings to mind the "Homo Vitruvianus" by Leonardo da Vinci. In both cases, we observe the male figure and the attempt to embed it within geometrical forms: in Leonardo, the square and the circle; here, more vaguely, a circle. What is the significance of this effort to contain the human figure? Since the Renaissance, artists have been intrigued by this possibility. A longing to find the mathematical and harmonious place of man in the universe, a profound desire that resurfaces in the collective memory of Western culture. It is not simply about depicting the body but about understanding its place within the larger cosmos. This search for harmony, like the eternal return of a myth, has found new form in our drawing.