French school of the 19th century

French school of the 19th century.
"Male nude".
Charcoal on paper.
Measurements: 55 x 34 cm; 83.5 x 59.5 cm (frame).
In 19th century France, the nude occupied a central place in the academic teaching of the arts. The drawing of the human body, studied from live models, was considered the indispensable basis for training the artist, as it allowed the mastery of anatomy, proportions and the representation of movement. The practice responded to a tradition inherited from the Renaissance and consolidated in the academies, where the nude was seen not only as a technical exercise, but also as a way of accessing the ideal and the universal in art.
In a context in which academicism defended the primacy of the "great historical genre", the nude also acquired a symbolic function: it was the language with which myths, allegories and episodes of Antiquity were narrated. Thus, beyond their pedagogical dimension, these drawings reflected the cultural value of the body as a measure of beauty and as a support for the artistic ideals of nineteenth-century France.