Academic Study of a Man and a Woman 1808

Woutherus Mol painted this oil on canvas titled ‘Academic Study of a Man and a Woman’ at an unknown date. It’s an exercise in the artistic conventions of academic art. In the 19th century, the art academy played a central role. It shaped artistic taste and legitimized the work of its students by exhibiting at the Salon. In a European setting, it determined who would have a career as an artist. The curriculum emphasized classical ideals of beauty, as well as the mastery of anatomy, perspective and composition. We can see both of these at play here. The ‘Academic Study’ was a genre that asked students to copy antique sculptures or draw from nude models in the studio. Mol’s painting shows his knowledge of the antique but more than that it reflects the power of art institutions to shape artistic production. By researching the archives of art academies and the records of the Salon, we can better understand the social and institutional context in which art was made.