Kneeling Male Figure with Outstretched Arms (recto); Semi-Nude Seated Male Figure seen from Behind (verso) 1537 - 1591

Giovanni Battista Naldini made this drawing of a kneeling male figure with outstretched arms in the 16th century with red chalk on paper. Red chalk, a readily available material, allowed artists to experiment with shading and form. The material qualities of red chalk – its relative softness, its color – are critical to the look and feel of this sketch. Chalk allowed Naldini to achieve nuanced gradations of tone and shadow, and to produce a rich, velvety texture, defining the musculature and contours of the figure's body. Red chalk also naturally lends itself to sketching. The artist could quickly establish the basic composition and proportions of the figure, capturing its dynamic pose with a fluid and expressive line. This work also shows the nature of the creative process – the verso side even has another sketch. The artist, perhaps reflecting the value of the paper it was made on, has used every inch of it.