Nude Study of a Boy
1856
oil on paper on panel
Credits: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (State of the Netherlands)
In 1885, the young Mathijs Maris enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. His older brother Jacob also took classes there. The Academy was well regarded for its education and, furthermore, was free of charge. For a brief period in early 1886, Van Gogh, too, attended classes there.
Part of the curriculum included painting from a life model. In one of these classes, Maris painted this striking nude study. The model assumes a relaxed pose, with a cloth in his lap and his hands folded. We do not know who this boy is. He may possibly appear in other drawings and paintings by Academy students of the time.
- Object number
- s0529N2012
- Dimensions
- 62 x 35 , 90.6 x 63.5 , 11.5
- Credits
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (State of the Netherlands)
Matthijs Maris, Amsterdam, 2017, p. 70-71, 77