Twee figurenstudies van een zittende en een staande mannelijk naakt

Twee figurenstudies van een zittende en een staande mannelijk naakt is a powerful academic drawing executed by Théodore Géricault, one of the pioneering figures of French Romanticism, sometime during the critical period of 1801 to 1824. Rendered meticulously in pencil on paper, this work features two studies of the male nude (nu), a foundational requirement for any aspiring historical painter training within the early 19th-century academic system. The medium highlights Géricault’s early dedication to mastering anatomy and human proportion, skills essential before undertaking the vast, complex compositions for which he would later become renowned.

The drawing technique reveals Géricault’s characteristic energetic line combined with careful modeling of light and shadow, demonstrating a command over classical form even as the artist began moving towards Romantic expressiveness. The seated figure, in particular, showcases the intense observation of weight, musculature, and pose required in académie life drawing sessions. These studies provide invaluable documentation of the rigorous technical exercises that underpin the subsequent artistic triumphs of Géricault.

Although the artist is primarily celebrated for monumental canvases such as The Raft of the Medusa, this piece offers crucial insight into the artist’s developmental years before his untimely death in 1824. The Twee figurenstudies van een zittende en een staande mannelijk naakt resides within the extensive collection of the Rijksmuseum, which makes significant contributions to scholarship by ensuring such historical drawings are available in the public domain. High-quality prints derived from this seminal drawing are frequently used in art history curricula, illustrating the technical standards achieved by the Romantic masters.