Anonymous German Artist: Male Nude - Nude Boy - 1900 - 19th Century Drawing Technique in Progress

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The two auction drawings from Koblenz, Germany arrived on Monday (above). The drawing of the male nude reaching out with closed fist on the left is somewhat mediocre and problematic but the drawing on the right (above and below), especially the larger drawing of the male nude on the left hand side of the paper, is a nice example of 19th century drawing techniques in progress. I have scanned the drawing life sized and reduced it by 50% so that you can see the detail of the original drawing. If you look closely you can see the light contour drawing of the overall figure and if you move from the feet up to the top of the model's head you can actually see the process the artist has used to complete the drawing. The artist has started the process by outlining the various planes of the body where lights, mid-tones, and darks will ultimately fall. This is a great example of graining, meaning the artist has created solid areas of shade with no separate strokes visible. As you travel up the body you can see how the artist has used hatching and cross-hatching to model the various soft planes and musculature of the body. Examining the drawing further, I do not believe the artist made it to the next step in drawing, stumping, where lights and darks are blended.
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Caption: Male Nude

Artist: Unknown

Material: Pencil on paper

Dated February 2, 1900