Study of a man 1886

Anton Azbe created this study of a man in the late 19th or early 20th century using, presumably, graphite on paper. It shows a reclining nude male. The image employs visual codes and references associated with academic artistic traditions, specifically the male nude, but its cultural and historical associations might seem ambiguous at first glance. Azbe was Slovenian, but he spent most of his career in Munich. At the time, Munich was home to a prominent art academy. One aspect of its history was its involvement in the professionalization and institutionalization of art training. The image could be a studio study, or it could be a comment on the social structures of its time. Art historians may be able to find answers by examining the archives of the Munich Art Academy. Ultimately, the meaning of this artwork is contingent on social and institutional context.