Nude Study of a Boy
Matthijs Maris (1839 - 1917), 1856
oil on paper on panel, 62 cm x 35 cm
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 cm x 35 cm, 90.6 cm x 63.5 cm, 11.5 cm
- artist
- Matthijs Maris
- Credits
- Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (State of the Netherlands)
Bionda, Richard W.A., Matthijs Maris, Amsterdam, 2017, p. 70-71, 77
Leeuw, Ronald de, Van Gogh Museum : schilderijen en pastels, Zwolle, 1993, p. 28
Haverkorn van Rijsewijk, P., Matthijs Maris : I. leerjaren te 's-Gravenhage, pp. 36-38