The Passion of Collecting Academic Nudes

Join me as we explore my collection of Academic Nudes from the 18th, 19th, and Early 20th Centuries and serendipitous finds in the Museum, Art Auction, and Gallery world......examples from the Golden Age of the European Academie


Monday, May 9, 2011

19th Century Atelier: Male Nude Portrait circa 1850

It doesn't take but one brief look at this academic male torso study to know that the artist who created it knew exactly what he was doing and had an accomplished professional eye. This unknown artist had complete control of his color palette and with competent brush strokes successfully captured the effects of light falling on the model directly onto his canvas. This is what it is all about folks, pure and simple. Every artist worth his salt should have been trained to produce a work like this but this result is something one seldom sees in this day and age. As far as the holes in that canvas, believe me, any competent restoration specialist can reweave that canvas, match the colors, and return this painting to a beautiful whole state. I am in awe at the competent brush work and color application.

I will leave for San Antonio soon and will return next week. My youngest son is graduating from the University of Texas and getting his officer's bars in the US Army at a commissioning ceremony later in the week. He is headed to Germany for three years and hopefully that will mean three trips to Germany in the future. Cheers and see you all soon.
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