Skitse af en fod set fra oven. Hælen t.v. 1743 - 1809

This is a sketch of a foot seen from above, heel to the left, by Nicolai Abildgaard. While undated, it was likely made in Denmark sometime between 1760 and 1800. The work provides a glimpse into the artist’s methods, specifically his engagement with the aesthetic ideals of Neoclassicism, an aesthetic movement that drew inspiration from the classical art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. In the Neoclassical art world, a renewed emphasis was placed on anatomical accuracy and idealized human forms. Artists like Abildgaard would create studies of the human body and its constituent parts, in order to refine their understanding in accordance with this ideal. In Abildgaard’s time, institutions like the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts played an important role in developing and promoting Neoclassical art. This particular drawing offers an opportunity to consider the way such institutions shaped artistic training and production. To understand this sketch fully, scholars consult not only the artist’s biography but also the records of the Royal Danish Academy, shedding light on the institutional context in which Abildgaard worked.