Profielschetsen en mannelijk naakt 1570 - 1609

Annibale Carracci made this pen and brown ink drawing, Profilschetsen en mannelijk naakt, sometime in the late 16th century. Here, Carracci populates the page with profile sketches and a nude male figure, all rendered with a quick, searching line. Carracci was a towering figure in the Bologna art scene, at a time when the academies were becoming an increasingly important force in defining artistic standards. This drawing probably emerged from that context of academic study. We might think of this as an exercise, aimed at mastering the depiction of the human form from multiple angles. The nude, of course, had long been a central subject for artists, prized for its associations with classical antiquity. But the nude also played a key role in the academic system, offering a seemingly neutral basis for understanding anatomy and proportion. To understand the drawing better, we can turn to sources that illuminate Carracci’s training and the broader institutional history of the art academy. This helps us see how the figure—a traditional subject—could also be a site for innovation and social change.