Studies for a Seated Figure of a Man with a Shovel 1598 - 1608

Bernardino Poccetti created this drawing, Studies for a Seated Figure of a Man with a Shovel, using pen and brown ink with wash, heightened with white gouache over black chalk. Notice how the composition emphasizes anatomical studies, focusing on segments like hands, arms, and legs. Poccetti masterfully uses line and shadow to define the figure's form, capturing musculature and the play of light. These aren't just isolated body parts; they are studies that allow the artist to understand the body's architecture. The semiotic dimension comes into play as Poccetti studies the language of the body, specifically how to articulate the laboring figure. The detailed rendering of hands and limbs suggests the artist is interested in the body as a site of action and work, reflecting cultural codes of labor. The artistic process reveals an intellectual structure in the body to be observed and interpreted. The drawing, in its focus on the corporeal, challenges any static or idealised representation of the human form.