Hunter
1897
Fernand Cormon captures the raw energy of the Stone Age in this energetic sketch of a prehistoric hunter. Clad in rough animal hides and clutching a long bow, the figure gazes upward with rugged intensity, though his face remains a faint outline—a telltale sign of a working study. Cormon was famous for his massive, dramatic paintings of early human life, and this piece, signed 'F.C. 97,' likely served as a preparation for one of those epic scenes. Interestingly, Cormon ran a famous Parisian art studio where young rebels like Vincent van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec learned their craft, making this academic sketch a surprising link to the birth of modern art.
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