Male Nude
This study dates to Degas’s years as an art student in Paris. Rather than starting with a fresh canvas, he painted the nude on top of another figure study, which is partially visible through the outer paint layer. The toes and foot of the earlier figure—possibly the same model—may be seen in the lower left corner, just below the male nude’s head, while his bearded face appears in the area of the reclining nude’s foot. Painting the model in a prone position may have provided Degas with the opportunity to render a figure as if dead or wounded, one who would appear in a scene of warfare.
Artwork Details
- Title: Male Nude
- Artist: Edgar Degas (French, Paris 1834–1917 Paris)
- Date: 1856
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 13 3/4 x 24 1/4 in. (34.9 x 61.6 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Philip and Catherine Korsant, 2007
- Object Number: 2007.529
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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