Female figure 

Marcello Venusti made this red chalk drawing of a female figure in Italy, likely in the mid-16th century. It's an evocative piece. We see a woman gazing upwards, her pose suggesting contemplation or perhaps even divine inspiration. Venusti was working in a period where the Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts. It held considerable sway over subject matter and style, and, drawing from the idealized forms of classical antiquity, artists frequently depicted religious figures. Consider Raphael's Madonnas, for instance. But there was also a growing humanist movement which emphasized human experience and rationality. How did artists balance these competing forces? And where does this drawing fit in? Is it a preparatory sketch for a religious painting, or a study of the human form for its own sake? Historians delve into letters, commissions, and artists' biographies, as well as the social, political, and religious context to explore these questions. By doing so, we move closer to understanding not just what the artist created, but why.