European School (c. 1820) - Alcibiades (after One Of The Figures From Raphael's School Of Athens)

Charcoal and graphite on cream paper. The study of Alcibiades, the emblematic figure of Raphael's School of Athens, became one of the most frequently used anatomy and composition exercises in the classrooms of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in the 19th century. This model, taken from the Vatican fresco, was fundamental for students to master the balance and posture of the foreshortened human figure, as well as the elegance of the classical profile embodied by the Greek warrior. The academic drawing of this subject was not a mere slavish copy, but a rite of passage in which the student had to translate the freshness of Raphael's brushstrokes into the precision of charcoal or sanguine, seeking to capture that blend of martial virility and intellectual sophistication that defines the character. The multiple versions of this drawing that have come down to us testify to the enduring relevance of the academic ideal, where the imitation of the great masters of the Renaissance was considered the only possible path to formal perfection and understanding of the classical canon.- Dimensions of the image without frame: 31 x 45 cm / 47 x 61 cm with exclusive custom frame.