Nude sitting man 1859

Mariano Fortuny Marsal made this drawing of a nude man, sitting, in 1857. The image is a wonderful example of academic study in the mid-nineteenth century. In art academies across Europe, male students would copy classical sculptures and draw live models to master human anatomy. Fortuny probably made this drawing at the start of his studies at the academy of Barcelona. There, the nude was an established genre that served to ennoble painting and sculpture. Although it's not possible to say for sure, the model may have been a fellow student. It seems that the artist’s attention was focused on mastering his skills, rather than critiquing the norms of the art world. To understand this artwork better, one might consult the archives of the Barcelona academy. Such study reveals the social and institutional contexts that shape artistic production.