Standing Male Nude (Louis Fischer)

John Flanagan

ca. 1891 · Charcoal on paper · The American Wing

Flanagan, like many American artists of the late nineteenth century, sought training in Paris, after he worked as a studio assistant for the acclaimed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Enrolled at the preeminent Ecole des Beaux-Arts in July 1891, Flanagan studied in the atelier of Alexandre Falguière. Single-figure studies of nude models, known as “académies,” were a staple of life classes in which attaining expertise in rendering the human form was foundational. Flanagan’s exacting charcoal drawings, which identify his models by name, were each completed over a few class days. Preliminary outlines, erasures, handling smudges, and tacking holes offer evidence of the demanding labor that went into this well-executed anatomical study.

Artist

John Flanagan

Date

ca. 1891

Medium

Charcoal on paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Joel Rosenkranz, in celebration of the Museum's 150th anniversary, 2019