Zittend mannelijk naakt en een kleine schets 1781

Jean Grandjean created this drawing, titled "Zittend mannelijk naakt en een kleine schets," using graphite and charcoal, during a period when Neoclassicism was on the rise. Grandjean, working in the late 18th century, was part of a cultural moment deeply engaged with the revival of classical ideals. This drawing reflects the era's fascination with the male nude as a symbol of beauty, strength, and virtue. But it also serves as a study, a practice piece. The male figure's pose—seated and slightly turned—invites a kind of quiet contemplation. In this period, the male nude was often deployed as a symbol of power. Instead, here we have a moment of private introspection. What might it mean to see the male body, typically a site for demonstrations of idealized power, rendered here as a vulnerable subject? This work leaves us to consider the multiple roles of art, both public and private, as a space where we reflect upon society’s images and also our own internal lives.