Two Female Nudes; Seated Male Nude 1810 - 1820

This is a pen and ink drawing of nudes and equestrian figures by Thomas Sully, an American artist working in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Here, we see the kind of classical subjects that art academies valued at the time. But why were these kinds of images so important to the artistic establishment? The nude figure had long been considered the pinnacle of artistic achievement, and expertise in representing the human form signified an artist's mastery of anatomy, perspective, and idealization. The male nude in particular, recalls the sculpture of classical antiquity. Art academies promoted these values, which were deeply entrenched in European art traditions, and Sully’s image reflects the continuation of these values in American art. The image also speaks to the gendered nature of art institutions in the period, as women were denied the same opportunities as men to study and depict the nude figure. To understand this work more fully, one might consider how the institutions of art shape the production and reception of art.