Zittend mannelijk naakt, op de rug gezien (2e prijs 1794) Possibly 1794

Hendrik Bitter made this red chalk drawing, titled "Sitting Male Nude, Seen from the Back (2nd Prize 1794)", in 1794. Consider the late 18th century context. It's a revolutionary period, where ideas about the body, beauty, and citizenship are being radically re-imagined. Here, the male nude, a staple of academic art, is rendered with a particular emphasis on anatomical precision and idealized form. But what does it mean to depict the male body in this way? It can be read as both an assertion of power and a vulnerable display of humanity. This idealized form, with its roots in classical antiquity, often excludes those who don't fit this narrow definition of beauty. The model is anonymous, but he is also a specific person. There is a tension between objectification and the potential for empathy. The artist is also wrestling with their own gaze, their own desires, and their own relationship to the figure before them. "Sitting Male Nude, Seen from the Back" thus invites reflection on the power dynamics inherent in representation, and who gets to be seen and how.