Paul Cézanne occasionally drew from classical sculpture and mythology as part of his academic training, and this study of Hercules resting reflects that grounding in traditional figure drawing before he developed his mature, more structural style. Working from plaster casts was a standard part of nineteenth-century artistic education, and such studies helped Cézanne build the command of the body that later underpinned his ambitious bather compositions. The drawing offers a glimpse of the disciplined foundations beneath Cézanne's radical later innovations.
Printed edge to edge on a soft, durable woven area rug with a comfortable, non-slip feel.
