Nude Man Standing, with Left Hand Raised

The work Nude Man Standing, with Left Hand Raised was executed by Edgar Degas between 1895 and 1905. This powerful drawing, created using charcoal on paper, exemplifies the artist's intense focus on the human form late in his career. Degas, famous for capturing dynamic movement and intimate scenes of Parisian life in France, often relied on drawing as an essential tool for developing his figures, whether for sculpture, pastels, or paintings.

The figure stands in a strong, slightly contrapposto pose, defined by bold, searching lines typical of Degas’s late style. The raised left hand introduces tension and suggests arrested action, perhaps indicating the preparation for a larger compositional study involving bathers or dancers, although the piece stands alone as a formal anatomical study. Degas utilized the charcoal medium to rapidly block out light and shadow, giving the form a robust three-dimensional presence and volume. This emphasis on the expressive potential of the nude body reflects the continuing influence of traditional academic training on French artists of the 19th century.

As a vital example of late 19th and early 20th-century French draftsmanship, this finished work resides in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is classified simply as a drawing. While the original charcoal is a unique object, the enduring importance of this piece means that high-quality prints and reproductions are often made available through public domain initiatives and museum catalogs, ensuring widespread access to Degas’s masterful representation of the human body.