Male nude

Gustave Moreau produced this male nude study around 1860 as part of his academic training. Such figure studies were essential practice for artists of his era, building skills in anatomy and form before tackling complex mythological subjects.

Moreau later became famous for elaborate Symbolist paintings packed with mythological figures and detailed details. These early nude studies represent the foundation of that work. When Moreau died in 1898, he bequeathed his townhome and studio with nearly 1,200 paintings and over 10,000 drawings to create a museum. Now at the Musée National Gustave Moreau in Paris.