“Study of a Young Man”
“Study of a Young Man”, sometimes referred to as “A Hunchback Boy”, is a haunting drawing by the Italian Baroque artist, Annibale Carracci. This piece is red chalk on paper and was made circa 1580-1590, when the artist was in his twenties.
In this drawing, a young man looks out shyly at the viewer. He is seated to the side looking over his right shoulder. His curved spine, kyphosis in modern terms, is prominently on display. This piece is often noted for its lifelikeness and its empathy. Believed to have been drawn from life, this is a wonderful example of Carracci’s ability to show the inner personalities of his sitters, a difficult skill to master. Carracci added the words “Non so se Dio m’aiuta”, which means “I do not know if God helps me”.
This piece was drawn early in Carracci’s career. In 1582, he opened Accademia degli Incamminati, an art school, along with his brother, Agostino Carracci, and his cousin, Ludovico Carracci. Accademia degli Incamminati has the prestige of being the first major art school where artists were allowed to draw nude figures from life. At the Carracci studio, Annibale Carracci drew numerous sketches for character studies. Thankfully, a number of his red chalk character sketches survive to this day.
“Study of a Young Man” is currently in the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth in Derbyshire, England.
For more on Annibale Carracci, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
