Male nude pulling a net (?) 1601 - 1661

Francesco Montelatici rendered this sanguine drawing of a male nude, seemingly hauling a net, sometime in the 17th century. The act of pulling or dragging is visually arresting and rich with cultural memory. Consider the ancient Greek sculptures of struggling figures, their faces contorted in agony as they strain against an unseen force. Even in the Renaissance, Michelangelo masterfully captured the human form under duress, echoing the dynamism of antiquity. Here, Montelatici conveys a similar tension through the taut muscles and sinuous pose of his figure. One can also observe it in the emotional and psychological states – think of the primal human experiences, of the effort, the burden, and the perpetual struggle against forces unseen. And so, this motif resurfaces, echoing across centuries, forever imprinted in our collective consciousness.