Standing and Reclining Male Nude Youth 19th-20th century

Editor: This is Frank Samuel Eastman's "Standing and Reclining Male Nude Youth," a charcoal drawing at the Harvard Art Museums. I'm struck by the contrast in the poses and how the artist captured the boy's form. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The apparent ease of this work belies the intense labor involved in academic drawing. Note how the materiality of the charcoal allows for correction and adjustment. What does the reproductive labor of the artist suggest about art education at the time? Editor: That's a great point. It makes me think about the purpose of these exercises. Curator: Exactly! And how these sketches prepared artists for larger, more 'significant' works. The sketch itself, the byproduct of a process, becomes an object of value. Isn't that interesting? Editor: Definitely! I never considered the value of the practice itself. Thanks for pointing that out.