Zittende man met voet op verhoging 1732 - 1740

Jacques Philippe Le Bas made this print of a seated man, resting his foot on a ledge, sometime in the 18th century. Prints like this one occupied an interesting place in the 18th-century art world. The print medium allowed an image to be reproduced and distributed widely, and this one probably served as a study aid for art students. Note the man’s studied pose, and the almost academic rendering of the folds in his garments. Le Bas was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, a powerful institution that dictated artistic taste in France. It’s interesting to consider how prints like this one helped to circulate the values of the Academy, shaping the training of artists and the expectations of audiences. We can learn more about this by studying the archives of the Academy, and the writings of art critics at the time. This reminds us that art is always made within specific social and institutional contexts.