Athlete
Maker
Attributed to
(artist)
1791-1824
(artist)
1791-1824
Title
Athlete
Date of Production
1816 - 1817
Medium
graphite, pen and dark brown ink on wove paper
Dimensions
Height: 14.5 cm
Width: 8.9 cm
Width: 8.9 cm
Accession Number
D.1952.RW.3976
Mode of Acquisition
Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
Label Text
This work has been linked to the so-called exercise of the ‘cinq points’, where five dots are randomly placed on a sheet. The task is to link them all in the form of a figure, leading to expressive movement. Géricault delineated the athlete’s silhouette with a sharp and powerful line, aptly rendering the contorted forms and the tensions of the body. This fine drawing certainly dates from the period of the artist’s trip to Italy, when he was influenced by Michelangelo’s authoritative interpretation of the human figure.
Provenance
purchased by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952) in Paris, n.d.; Witt Bequest 1952
Exhibition History
CORPUS: The Body Unbound, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 16/06/2017-16/07/2017
Special Display - French Drawings of the 19th century, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 08/02/2008-12/06/2008
Special Display - French Drawings of the 19th century, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 08/02/2008-12/06/2008
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermark: none.
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower centre, graphite, underlined: "Gericault".
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower centre, graphite, underlined: "Gericault".
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