Standing Male Nude

The practice of life drawing was institutionalized by the Académie Royale in the 17th century, making it fundamental to every artist’s training. Many artists also continued the regimen of life drawing throughout their careers. By the 18th century, any carefully drawn figure study of the nude body was termed an académie. Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié was one of the great practitioners of the genre, executing hundreds of forceful chalk studies of live models. This superb example, one of his largest and most skillful académies, likely dates from his years as a professor at the academy and may have been intended as a demonstration piece for his students.