Two studies for foreshortened male figures lying on their backs 1600 - 1633

Jacopo Palma, called il Giovane, made these studies for foreshortened male figures lying on their backs with pencil on paper. Palma was working in Venice at the height of its artistic and commercial power. We see in this sketch the influence of the great masters, of Titian and Tintoretto, but the question is, how did one learn to paint like that? Artists' studios of the 16th century were a bit like trade guilds. To learn the craft, young artists would work for established masters, copying their works and learning their techniques. And we know that Palma travelled widely, spending time in Rome, copying Michelangelo. A drawing like this is a record of that process of learning by copying, of soaking oneself in artistic culture. Art history can sometimes seem like a story of isolated geniuses, but these drawings remind us that artistic creation is always a social process, one of learning, imitation, and collaboration. It is through careful historical research that we can understand the social conditions that shape artistic production.