Studies of nudes (two men, seated, looking in a mirror, and a seated boy) c. 1520

Curator: Today we are observing Jacopo Pontormo's drawing, "Studies of nudes (two men, seated, looking in a mirror, and a seated boy)," created around 1520, using chalk on paper, held in the Städel Museum. Editor: It's brooding, isn't it? The hazy blue chalk, the way the figures are tangled together… There’s a real tension in the composition. Curator: Pontormo was working in a tumultuous time, right on the cusp of the High Renaissance and Mannerism. It was a period marked by social upheaval and religious questioning that profoundly influenced the art being produced. Editor: I see the Mannerist style coming through in the distorted proportions and the complex, almost artificial poses. The way their bodies seem to flow into one another. He clearly is rejecting classical ideals. Curator: Exactly. The commission records and correspondence of the period suggest artists like Pontormo struggled between traditional demands of patrons and new ways to articulate their beliefs, resulting in highly personalized artworks for their increasingly elitist clients. Editor: It feels like there is this intense interiority on display. The seated figures in the mirror seem more interested in their reflections. What is the little boy supposed to be doing here? Curator: Likely this preparatory drawing was meant for a much larger history painting of a narrative scene or religious subject, for a patron from either the Medici court or a monastic order; the artist's struggle to incorporate a variety of ages and poses for his figures became abstracted from that greater meaning. Editor: So, perhaps it's more of an abstract study in the way that classical sculpture captures an almost impossible ideal of human perfection. I can certainly understand the challenges inherent to the piece. Curator: Reflecting on its complicated circumstances is something many art institutions aim to facilitate and bring more accessible perspectives, for the common museum visitor or expert researcher. Editor: Yes, considering these elements lets you understand a new dimension. A glimpse into his process and time that I originally only saw in composition and shading.