Model set forfra, knælende på højre ben; ikke tegnet færdig 1745 - 1802

Jens Juel, a leading portrait painter of the Danish Golden Age, created this unfinished chalk drawing. The study of a kneeling male nude provides insight into the academic practices that underpinned even the most seemingly straightforward portraiture of the era. Juel's artistic world was one where the male gaze predominated, and the representation of the male form was often idealized. Consider the gender dynamics at play here: a male artist capturing a male subject, presumably for the consumption of a largely male artistic establishment. The model’s muscular physique and graceful pose reflect the aesthetic values of the time, rooted in classical ideals of beauty. Yet, the unfinished quality of the drawing also invites us to reflect on the process of artistic creation itself and the power dynamics inherent in the act of representation. The sketch invites us to think about the untold stories and the silent bodies that constitute art history. What does it mean to look at a body that is both present and absent, complete and incomplete?