Étude De Nu Masculin 1905

Eugène Jansson made this study of a male nude, probably with charcoal, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It's all about light and shadow, this push-and-pull that gives the figure its volume. Check out how the charcoal dust hazes softly around the figure, especially behind the head and torso. It almost feels like the figure is emerging from the darkness, or maybe dissolving back into it. And then there are the lines themselves – these scratchy, almost frantic marks that define the contours of the body. They're not trying to be perfect, they're searching for the form, feeling their way around it. Look at the hand that is resting on his hip. Jansson uses shadow to give the impression of its form. It’s like he’s saying, "Here's a body, in all its messy, imperfect glory." You could say it recalls the work of Anders Zorn, who also had an interest in depicting the human form with a clear, sensual gaze.