After the Antique: Statue of Paris n.d.

Giulio Clovio created this drawing, "After the Antique: Statue of Paris", with pen and brown ink and brown wash on paper. The figure of Paris is presented in a frontal pose, his nude form dominating the composition. Notice the use of line and shading to define the musculature and contours of his body, a testament to Clovio’s engagement with classical ideals of beauty and form. The washes create a sense of volume, emphasizing the three-dimensionality of the figure against the flat plane of the paper. The drawing reflects the Renaissance interest in reviving classical art, yet it also destabilizes fixed categories. Clovio's use of drawing as a medium, rather than sculpture, adds another layer of interpretation. This tension between imitation and innovation, between form and representation, invites us to consider how artists of the time engaged with and reinterpreted the classical past.