Antoine Calbet On Sale

Antoine Calbet, a pupil of Alexandre Cabanel and François Émile Michel, Calbet also studied with the genre painter Édouard-Antoine Marsal. He made his public exhibition debut at the Salon de la Société des Artistes Français in 1880, and continued to take part in the Paris Salons until 1940. A gifted watercolorist as well as a portrait and genre painter, Calbet had a particular penchant for studies of languid female nudes. He also worked as a decorative painter, counting among his public commissions the decoration of several theatres, as well as the buffet restaurant in the Gare de Lyon in Paris and the restaurant La Grande Taverne in Dijon, for which Calbet painted a Scène de Brasserie. Calbet is perhaps known today, however, for his book illustrations, having taken over the commissions of the Czech artist Luděk Marold when the latter returned to Prague. Among the works illustrated by Calbet, were editions of Emile Zola’s Madame Neigeon, Guy de Maupaussant’s Bel Ami, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions and Paul Verlaine’s Fêtes galantes. He also provided illustrations for magazine short stories, such as Henri de Régnier’s “Le veuvage de Shéhérazade”, published in the Christmas 1925 issue of L’Illustration. An exhibition of Calbet’s drawings and watercolors was held at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris in 1909, and another at the Galerie Graat in Paris in 1932.

The human body has long been a favorite subject for artists throughout history. Nude drawings and watercolor paintings reveal the human figure but also the social ideals, traditions and cultural beliefs around people and bodies at the time they were created.

Nude drawings and watercolors offer a unique way to illustrate the human body. Drawings in pencil or ink can quickly capture movement or poses while watercolor is more expressive of a moment. Different cultures utilize the same materials differently, and each piece provides a singular glimpse into the perspectives and expectations around people’s bodies.

Artists like Francisco Goya, Gustav Klimt and Lucian Freud — who painted his friends, his lovers and his children — found acclaim and success by creatively depicting the human body. More recently, as contemporary artists have followed the figurative muse, many painters are exploring the nude as a subject for their drawings and works in watercolors.

If you’re thinking about bringing this kind of work into your space, there are many ways to consider how to arrange wall art in your living room or elsewhere in your home. Creating a wall of art is a wonderful way to enhance your space, showcase beautiful pieces and tie an interior design vision together. It allows you to evoke emotions in a room while also showing off your tastes and interests.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of nude drawings and watercolor paintings for diverse views and attitudes toward the human form through a range of cultures and times.