Zittend mannelijk naakt, met één opgetrokken knie 1789 - 1853

This is Jan Willem Pieneman's study of a nude male figure, rendered in sanguine chalk. Pieneman lived during a time of shifting social and political landscapes in Europe. His work reflects the academic artistic traditions of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the male nude was a cornerstone of artistic training. Yet, it's important to acknowledge that this tradition was built on complex notions of masculinity and power. Consider the male gaze inherent in the act of portraying a nude male figure. This artwork invites us to reflect on the power dynamics between the artist, the model, and the viewer, and it asks us to think about whose bodies have been historically represented, and how. Pieneman's nude is a study in form, but also a reminder of the gendered and often exclusionary practices within art history. It prompts us to think about the representation of bodies, and what it means to see, and be seen.