Profil masculin 

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret sketched this male profile in pencil sometime during his career in France. The profile view has long been used for portraiture, such as in coins and medals, as well as preliminary drawings, like this one. Dagnan-Bouveret trained in the academic system that dominated French art at the time, but he eventually turned toward Realism, depicting the lives of peasants and working-class people. This sketch might seem like a simple exercise, but it reflects the values of the French Academy, which emphasized careful observation and skillful drawing as the foundation for all art. The figure's anonymity is also interesting. Dagnan-Bouveret often depicted specific individuals in his paintings, but here, he seems more interested in capturing a universal type, perhaps reflecting the social and political anxieties of the time. To fully understand the social role of artworks like this, we might look at the archives of the French Academy, exhibition reviews, and other period documents. The meaning of art is always tied to its context and understanding the institutions that shape its production helps us to fully appreciate its significance.