The Standing Nude Youth, with right arm raised by Edgar Degas, executed between 1859 and 1860, is an insightful example of the artist's rigorous academic training during his early career. This precise graphite drawing, rendered on wove paper, demonstrates Degas’s technical discipline in fundamental figure studies. The classification as a drawing indicates the work’s primary function as an observational exercise, focusing intently on anatomy and pose. The technique of partially rubbed graphite suggests that Degas was deliberately manipulating value to achieve three-dimensional modeling, carefully controlling the subtle transition between light and shadow across the figure.
Created shortly after Degas returned from Italy and before his definitive shift toward the themes of modern Parisian life, this piece reflects his deep immersion in the classical tradition of drawing from the live model. The focus on the idealized male nudes and their defined musculature places the work firmly within the standard curriculum of the École des Beaux-Arts. Such detailed life drawings were essential steps in mastering the human form, providing the technical foundation necessary for the artist to later manipulate complex figural compositions from memory. The challenging pose, with the youth’s right arm dramatically raised, is typical of academic exercises designed to test the draftsman's ability to render complex perspective and foreshortening.
This early masterwork of draftsmanship by Degas is preserved within the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While less recognized than his later pastels or oil paintings, the work provides crucial insight into the foundational skill that underpinned Degas's mature style. Today, many high-quality reproductions and prints of such historical drawings are frequently available for educational study. As an important piece of 19th-century art, it often falls under the public domain, allowing students and enthusiasts worldwide to freely appreciate the foundational expertise required for this genre.
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