Seated Nude Boy Seen from the Back
1621
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a boy sitting with his back to us, knees pulled up. His arms wrap around his legs, and his head tilts slightly down. The lines are dark and crisscrossed, giving his skin a textured look. The artist used a lot of small, overlapping lines to build up shadows and shape. This is a study, not a finished painting—just quick marks to get the form right. Next, check out cross-hatching to see how artists create depth with lines.
![Nude Man Seen from Behind [verso]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/2de266ff199c839b/thumb.webp)
