Seated Youth Wearing a Monk's Habit: Study for Saint Benedict 1590

Bartolomeo Cesi made this red chalk drawing, "Seated Youth Wearing a Monk's Habit: Study for Saint Benedict," sometime between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Cesi was active in Bologna during a period of significant religious and social change following the Council of Trent. This study offers insight into the artistic processes of the time, but it also reflects the complex ways in which identity was constructed and represented. The choice of a young male model to embody a revered saint brings into question the performance of holiness and masculinity during the Counter-Reformation. The youth’s androgynous features and the soft, flowing lines of the drawing lend an intimate, almost sensual quality to the image, challenging traditional notions of asceticism and religious devotion. The artist teases out how cultural ideals often intersect in unexpected ways. He shows us that artistic representation is never neutral. He explores the tensions inherent in trying to visualize abstract concepts like faith, virtue, and piety. This drawing invites us to consider the role of the artist in shaping religious and cultural narratives.