Staand mannelijk naakt, op de rug gezien (2e prijs 1774) Possibly 1774

Abraham Pietersz. Hulk made this chalk drawing of a standing male nude in 1774, and it won second prize. Art academies developed in the 17th century as institutions for training artists, with ideas about what art should be and who should make it. In the Dutch Republic, the academies were influenced by both classical and local traditions. This drawing demonstrates the importance attached to life drawing in academic training. This meant observing the human form carefully and representing it accurately according to established ideals of beauty and proportion. Hulk's drawing shows how the male nude was a subject through which artists could demonstrate their mastery of anatomy and their ability to capture the ideal human form. When we research an artwork like this, we ask: who had access to this kind of training, and whose bodies were considered worthy of representation?