The artwork under discussion is a sketch and study titled “Male Nude,” created by the artist Edward Hopper between circa 1903 and 1904. The mediums employed in this creation are charcoal and crayon. As an embodiment of the New Realism art movement, it has modest dimensions of 31.1 cm in height and 18.4 cm in width. Presently, this work is part of the collection of the Brooklyn Museum, located in New York City, New York, United States.
To describe the artwork, it depicts a standing male figure in a side view. The subject is rendered with attention to anatomical detail, highlighted through the use of shadow and light, which is characteristic of charcoal and crayon mediums. The pose is naturalistic, with the figure’s weight shifted onto one leg, which is a common contrapposto stance that has been used since classical antiquity to suggest a relaxed state. The artist has employed a variety of marks to suggest the tonal variation of the human form; deeper shadows define the curvature of the muscles and bodily structure, while lighter areas are left to suggest the form’s protrusion into light. The background is faint but suggests a simple environment that doesn’t detract from the figure. Overall, Hopper’s work exhibits a meticulous study of human anatomy and the skill to capture the essence of the figure with a sense of immediacy and directness.
