1864
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Study of Apollo for Marsyas (recto); Face in Profile (verso) is a 1864 by Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a man’s face turned sideways, his curly hair lit from behind. It’s a quick sketch, not a polished painting. One eye catches the light while the other hides in shadow. Baudry drew this while working on Paris Opéra ceilings. He copied Michelangelo’s strong figures after visiting the Sistine Chapel. The pose feels like a live model, not stiff or flat. Look up Paul Baudry (French, 1828–1886).
When Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry was commissioned to create the ceiling paintings for the Grand Foyer of the new Paris Opéra in 1864, for inspiration he visited the Sistine Chapel frescoes by Michelangelo—completed more than 300 years earlier. This drawing depicts the god Apollo from behind, intended for a scene in which Apollo points to the satyr Marsyas, with whom he held a musical competition. The pose and figure type recall Michelangelo’s monumental sculpture of David, which Baudry would have also seen on his Italian journey.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry (1828–1886) was a French artist, born in La Roche-sur-Yon.
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