Sketch of two feet 

Here is Edwin Austin Abbey’s "Sketch of Two Feet", created sometime between 1852 and 1911. During the late 19th century, the academic study of the human form was critical to the artistic training of Western artists. What we have here is a quick study in white chalk on gray paper, two feet rendered with close attention to contour and shadow. As we consider this sketch, we might reflect on the historical context in which it was created. In portraying the nude form, artists participated in a long tradition that often privileged the white, male gaze. The sketch as a practice allowed artists to focus on detail, preparing for larger narrative paintings. These feet, isolated on the page, detached from the body, invite us to consider the power dynamics inherent in the act of observation. As we look, let's question how the body is represented, and whose stories are told, or left untold.