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Reclining Nude

Edouard Manet French

Not on view

The starting point for any artist when conceiving a major figurative painting was drawing the nude; these two works show the two artists’ differing approaches to this exercise. Manet emphasized the outlines of the figure and gave only the slightest indication of shadows, whereas Degas carefully modeled the contours to convey light falling across the body. This is one of the numerous preparatory drawings he made for Scene of War in the Middle Ages, on view nearby.

Reclining Nude, Edouard Manet (French, Paris 1832–1883 Paris), Red chalk, French

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