Female Nude

Female Nude

Karel van Mander the Elder, about 1590

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Artist: Karel van Mander the Elder (Dutch, 1548–1606)
Medium: Pen and brown ink and grayish brown wash over black chalk
Size: 19.8 × 12.2 cm (7 13/16 × 4 13/16 in.)
Culture: Dutch
Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

A female nude with both halves of her body balanced in a relatively straightforward contrapposto pose stands with arms outstretched. Karel van Mander first sketched the figure lightly in black chalk, next shaded it in wash, and finally added the swelling and tapering pen work. He drew only what was essential: small circles form her breasts, the eyes and mouth appear through quick dots of ink, and a single swirling stroke delineates her hair. The sure ink lines and lack of correction display van Mander's instinctive draftsmanship.

As part of their teaching at the drawing school they formed, known as the Haarlem Academy, Van Mander and his friends made sketches of single nude figures, often in strikingly difficult, contorted poses. This drawing represents a relatively restrained example of the genre.

Text: J. Paul Getty Trust, CC BY 4.0.

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