Three Studies of Male Nude Legs
Leg and lower-body studies in red chalk and pen
The sheet gathers three studies of the male nude lower body. At the left a leg is drawn in red chalk, its muscles picked out with soft hatching; the central figure, in pen, shows the hips, thigh, and a sharply foreshortened raised leg thrust toward the viewer; the right-hand study, also in pen, gives the legs of a standing figure seen from the front. A monogram collector's stamp of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana appears in the lower right. No transcribed text accompanies the drawings.
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Red-chalk leg at left
The leftmost study renders a nude leg in red chalk, from thigh through calf to the foot resting on the ground. The muscles are modelled with soft, layered hatching that catches the light along the shin. It is the most tonally developed of the three studies.
Central figure with foreshortened leg
The central pen study shows a nude seen in profile, the near leg boldly foreshortened and projected toward the viewer so that thigh and shin overlap. The torso and standing leg are given in economical outline. The pose explores the difficult recession of the raised limb.
Standing legs at right
At the right the artist draws the legs of a standing nude in pen, seen from the front with the feet on the ground. The contours are firm and the surface muscles lightly indicated. This upright pair balances the seated central study.