Language of the Body: Drawings by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon

Language of the Body: Drawings by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon by Elderfield, John. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780810935853.

French artist Pierre-Paul Prudhon (1758-1823) is best known as a painter of mythological and allegorical subjects that impressed his younger contemporaries Theodore Gericault and Eugene Delacroix. Fully as deserving of attention is a series of exquisite chalk studies - known as academies - that he made throughout his career. These drawings of male and female nudes - many of which have never before been published - are the focus of this beautiful and unique book. In his text, John Elderfield first discusses Prudhons life and work, examining the complexities and contradictions of his career and his singular place in the art of his time, including his role in the creation of the modern female nude. Then he considers the drawings themselves. Following the text are fifty-seven of Prudhons finest drawings - reproduced in full color - carefully selected and arranged by Robert Gordon to unfold in a visual display of gesture and form. The book concludes with the authors notes and a selected bibliography.