Artwork
Male Nude
Male Nude is an oil painting by the Realist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1856 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Stylistically, the work aligns with mid-19th-century academic practice, emphasizing naturalistic rendering of form while suppressing visible brushstrokes.
Edgar Degas’s Male Nude (1856) is executed in oil paint on canvas, a conventional support for academic figure studies of this period. The dimensions, 34.9 cm high by 61.6 cm wide, frame a half-length figure, allowing close attention to anatomical detail. Degas’s handling is characterized by smooth, controlled brushwork, with subtle gradations of tone that model the musculature and flesh without excessive linear definition.
Stylistically, the work aligns with mid-19th-century academic practice, emphasizing naturalistic rendering of form while suppressing visible brushstrokes. The palette is restrained, dominated by earthy ochres and muted flesh tones, which enhance the volumetric solidity of the figure. The condition of the painting, as held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, remains stable, preserving the artist’s intended effects.
History & Provenance
Edgar Degas created the oil painting Male Nude in 1856. The work was executed on canvas and measures 34.9 cm in height by 61.6 cm in width. Historical records indicate that the painting was once owned by René de Gas and Maurice Exsteens before passing to the Galerie Kornfeld. The Metropolitan Museum of Art currently holds the piece in its collection.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its ownership history includes possession by René de Gas and Maurice Exsteens, as well as the Galerie Kornfeld, prior to its acquisition by the museum. The provided sources do not contain specific inventory numbers or a record of public exhibitions for this work.
Context
The work titled Male Nude, painted by Edgar Degas in 1856, is an oil on canvas composition measuring 34.9 cm by 61.6 cm. It belongs to the genre of nude painting and was originally held by René de Gas, Maurice Exsteens and Galerie Kornfeld before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view. Its creation date situates it among Degas’s early works, reflecting the artist’s early engagement with the male nude form within the broader trajectory of his career.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Male Nude, was created by Edgar Degas in 1856. It depicts a reclining male figure, rendered with a focus on anatomical detail. The work is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing an early exploration of the human form by the artist.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a male figure lying on his back, his head turned to the left. His left arm rests bent on his stomach, while his right arm extends alongside his body. One leg is bent at the knee, with the foot touching the ground.
This pose allows for a detailed study of the body's contours and musculature, emphasizing the figure's physical presence against a subdued backdrop.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
