Negen studies naar vrouwelijk naakt, waarvan twee staande en face, en drie staande op de rug gezien 1846 - 1904

Henri Fantin-Latour made this pencil drawing entitled 'Nine Studies of a Female Nude' at an unknown date. The drawing is a collection of nude figures, some face on, some with their backs turned. Made in France, the sketch takes its cues from the old masters; the poses and rendering of the female form are in line with classical artistic conventions. But it also reflects the 19th-century academic system, in which nude drawing played a central role, where artists would hone their skills by drawing live models. The politics of the nude in art are complex, particularly in the context of the male gaze that has dominated the genre. Fantin-Latour seems to be exploring the aesthetic possibilities of the human form within an established framework. Historians of art rely on institutional records, artists' letters, and critical reviews to better understand the social context in which art is made, and how that affects our viewing of it.