Study of a Nude with Drapery

• Auguste Rodin (1840–1917)
• ca. 1908
• Pencil and bistre on bu wove paper
• Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
• (1975.1.697)

Auguste Rodin, the leading sculptor of his generation, produced many drawings as preparatory studies for his sculptures. In this sheet from a sketchbook, he depicted a woman lifting her chemise. With vigorous pencil lines, Rodin outlined the female form in a simplified manner, smudging the strokes to suggest light and shadow. The overlapping lines in the arm and face convey a sense of movement. Both his sculptures and his drawings avoid precise finish in favor of a rough and dynamic interpretation of form, revealing his connection to Impressionist contemporaries.