Study of Clouds; Two Female Nudes (after Michelangelo?); Two Half-length Female Portraits; Equestrian Figure with Two Men (from Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

Thomas Sully made this sketch, with pen and ink on paper, sometime in the early to mid-19th century. This sheet presents an interesting insight into the artistic training of the period. Here, we see Sully practicing his craft through a combination of life drawing, copying from the old masters such as Michelangelo, and landscape studies. This was a typical approach within the institutionalized art world of the time. Art academies, and the more informal practice of artists copying each other, played a vital role in establishing artistic standards and hierarchies of subject matter. The academic system Sully participated in was influential, yet also exclusionary. It privileged certain styles and subjects while marginalizing others. To truly understand an artwork like this, the historian considers the artist's training, the norms of the period, and the ways art reflects and reinforces cultural values. By examining letters, journals, and institutional records, we can better understand the meaning of this sketch within its specific social and institutional context.