Sitzender männlicher Akt nach links, zurückgewandt einen hinter ihm stehenden Kandelaber haltend 

Curator: Here we have an evocative red-chalk drawing, attributed to Parmigianino. The work is titled "Sitzender männlicher Akt nach links, zurückgewandt einen hinter ihm stehenden Kandelaber haltend" and it resides in the Städel Museum. Editor: My first impression is one of subdued elegance, even incompleteness. The lines are tentative, yet confident, creating a sense of dynamic potential within the stationary figure. It almost feels as though the drawing breathes. Curator: That potential energy you sense comes from the medium itself. Red chalk allows for a sfumato effect—a blurring of lines. Notice how this contrasts with the subject; it’s not just a representation of the male nude, but also a study of the play of light on the body, rendered in a particularly sensuous material. Editor: It's fascinating how the choice of material intertwines with the artwork's social context, don't you think? Nudity was so charged and policed in the Renaissance and to see it rendered so delicately in red chalk is suggestive. Curator: Indeed, but consider also the materiality of drawing itself. Red chalk, as a medium, facilitated quick studies and preparatory sketches. It's a utilitarian medium at the service of idealized form. I find that tension so compelling here. How the raw and practical aids the aesthetic aims. Editor: The pose contributes to this effect too. It feels quite unconventional, slightly vulnerable. He is both active, holding the candelabra, but passive, open to our gaze. He holds, so to speak, the tools that light our understanding and is the thing revealed through illumination. It begs questions about power dynamics. Curator: A productive point! And the materiality speaks again. The rawness of the red chalk serves, not to hide the vulnerability of the body, but to embrace and display it openly. There is no shame in process and exploration in red chalk drawing; no expectation of absolute mastery. Editor: Yes. We see here a kind of freedom that transcends simply artistic liberty. This image invites an interpretation that connects ideas around labor, form, sexuality, art-making. Thank you for pointing all these things out, it gave a whole new dimension for me. Curator: Indeed. Hopefully listeners will find this drawing to be far more than a static artifact. Instead, they might now appreciate how Parmigianino engages us, and his own practice, in red chalk.