Standing Nude Youth, with right arm raised
1859-60
Before Edgar Degas became the famous Impressionist known for capturing ballerinas in motion, he was a young artist rigorously training in the classical academic style. This energetic sketch of a nude youth with a raised arm reveals his deep study of human anatomy and proportion. See that faint vertical line running straight through the figure's center? Artists used these axis lines like a ruler to ensure their poses were balanced and anatomically correct. It's a fascinating glimpse into the disciplined homework of a master who would later break all the rules, complete with his signature stamped in red at the bottom right.
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