Study of a male figure for the Painting ''Last Judgment'' 1879

Noè Bordignon made this study of a male figure in preparation for his painting “Last Judgement.” The medium is graphite on paper, and the grid that underlies the drawing is clearly visible. This material combination is interesting. Graphite is essentially purified carbon, the residue of industrial processes, here used for a very traditional purpose: preparatory life drawing. Bordignon’s process is also revealing. You can see the confidence of his lines, particularly in the drapery, as the artist captures the weight and fall of the cloth. Yet there is also a sense of searching, of working through the composition as a whole. We can consider this work alongside Bordignon’s more finished paintings, and appreciate the dialogue between the rapid work of the hand and the long labor of art. It reminds us that every great artwork is made through iteration, refinement, and careful attention to both material and the human figure.