The Contrapposto (plate CXXII)
Collection of Prints and Drawings
Alternate title | Three Female Figures |
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Artist | |
Date | 1951 |
Object type | drawing |
Medium, technique | paper, pencil |
Dimensions | sheet: 290 × 215 mm |
Inventory number | 1955-5554 |
Collection | Collection of Prints and Drawings |
On view | This artwork is not on display |
Following in the footsteps of the great Renaissance masters, Jenő Barcsay made the human body the object of his scrutiny with scientific precision. The demand for an anatomy book was raised at the beginning of the 1950s and the first gem, Anatomy for the Artist, was published in 1953. Due to the success of this much-needed publication, Barcsay was commissioned to prepare two more volumes. Drapery and the Human Form was published in 1958, Form and Space in 1966.
The collection contains the drawings published in the first two volumes including this work, which was reproduced to illustrate contrasting positions of movement. The drawings, rendered delicately on marble-smooth paper in finely sharpened hard pencil and enriched with shading in many cases, can be considered not only an auxiliary for teaching but also as special, emblematic works of the artist’s œuvre. When it was published, Anatomy for the Artist won the title “Most Beautiful Book of the Year” and the artist was awarded the Kossuth Prize. Barcsay’s volumes of drawings have been published in several languages and in countless editions.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.