Étude de figures volantes 

Luc-Olivier Merson created this preparatory study using graphite and colored pencil on paper. Merson was a prominent academic painter in late 19th-century France, and was working within a historical and cultural context deeply rooted in classical traditions. Here we see the female nude figure, a staple of academic art, but rendered with a dynamism that hints at the changing times. Her form is idealized, reclining amidst what seems to be a dreamscape populated by flying figures. It's interesting to consider this work in light of the era's gender dynamics. On the one hand, the nude female form was a celebrated subject, yet women artists were often excluded from the very institutions that upheld this tradition. This piece invites us to reflect on the relationship between power, representation, and the gaze, prompting a dialogue about who gets to define beauty and whose stories are told.