Figure Studies (recto and verso)

Prints and Drawings

c. 1800

Henry Fuseli
Swiss, active in England, 1741-1825

In this double-sided study, Fuseli cleverly traced the same figure on opposite sides of the sheet, as if thinking in three dimensions. His nudes are mostly inspired by ancient sources, as in the hanging satyr with his arms raised (based on a famous Hellenistic sculpture of the flayed Marsyas), but Fuseli activates them with his dynamic line.
Drawing the human figure dominated artistic training in Fuseli’s day. While sketching from a live model was part of conventional practice, copying ancient Roman sculpture was equally important. Fuseli’s exposure to an abundance of ancient sculpture during his years in Rome (1770–78) became a visual catalogue he drew upon throughout his life.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Henry Fuseli
Title: Figure Studies (recto and verso)
Place: England (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1790–1825
Medium: Pen and brown ink (recto and verso) on cream laid paper
Dimensions: 27.4 × 19 cm (10 13/16 × 7 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Alsdorf
Reference Number: 1972.1236
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Schiff 1476 and 1476a

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