Two Studies of a Reclining Male Nude, after Gericault (recto); Figure Studies after Rubens's “Fall of the Damned” (verso)

Two Studies of a Reclining Male Nude, after Gericault (recto); Figure Studies after Rubens's “Fall of the Damned” (verso) by Eugène Delacroix is a foundational double-sided drawing dating from 1815 to 1825. This sheet provides significant insight into the formative years of the artist, illustrating his intensive academic training and his crucial engagement with both contemporary and old masters as he moved toward French Romanticism.

The recto is executed in graphite, pen, and brown ink, focusing on two studies of the male nude figure. These reclining anatomical exercises are direct references to the contemporary work of Théodore Géricault, Delacroix's friend and fellow pioneer of Romantic art. The careful rendering demonstrates Delacroix’s rigorous commitment to mastering human form and musculature, a prerequisite for the dramatic history paintings he would later create.

The verso, rendered with greater fluidity using pen and brush and brown ink, presents figure studies derived from Peter Paul Rubens's dynamic Baroque masterpiece, the Fall of the Damned. These sketches emphasize dramatic action and emotional intensity, revealing Delacroix’s early fascination with the forceful movement and energy characteristic of the Flemish master. The dual influence of academic classicism (via Géricault) and Baroque dynamism (via Rubens) on this single sheet underscores the diverse sources Delacroix synthesized to develop his signature style.

As a key example of the artist’s preparatory drafting, this drawing is housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Important early works such as this are often made available for academic study, and high-quality prints of many masterpieces from this period are accessible through the museum's initiatives to release content into the public domain.