Deux hommes nus luttant c. 19th century

Editor: This pencil drawing, "Deux hommes nus luttant," or "Two Nude Men Wrestling," by Léon Bonnat from the 19th century, captures a real sense of physical exertion. The medium contributes a lot to that, making it seem like a raw, immediate sketch. How do you read this piece? Curator: Well, first, consider the material constraints within which Bonnat was working. The availability and cost of paper, pencils, and, perhaps most importantly, the access to models. The choice of pencil itself is telling. It's a readily available material, connecting the artwork directly to the means of its production and dissemination to academic teaching practices. This wasn't meant for a gallery, initially, but a studio, correct? Editor: Possibly! Yes, the sketch does have a practical feel to it, and I could totally imagine him doing this for an art class. I'd not considered those practical details though. Curator: Exactly. And thinking about the academic context, look at how the emphasis shifts from say, celebrating idealized masculine forms towards an examination of musculature as it pertains to specific acts. There's less romanticizing and more emphasis on utility and function. The bodies are tools here. Consider, too, that depictions of wrestling go far back in visual culture. Think about where these kinds of academic figure studies are consumed? Were they informing painting, or illustrations for mass consumption, like manuals on exercise? Editor: That's fascinating! It really changes the way I see the drawing – less about the beauty of the bodies themselves, and more about how they’re represented in relation to production and consumption. Curator: Precisely! The labor involved in creating the image and what purposes does this rendering of labor serve, what is sold and how? It all shifts how we appreciate even a simple drawing like this. Editor: I never would have thought of it that way. Thinking about material and function has given me a whole new perspective. Curator: That’s the beauty of a materialist approach! Always consider the practical implications.