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About This Work
This pen and ink drawing depicts several muscular men in various states of violent physical exertion, grappling and striking one another. The composition focuses on the anatomical tension of the human form in motion, emphasizing the twisting of torsos and the extension of limbs. The large 'V' shape across the center is ink bleed-through from the reverse side of the paper.
This drawing is a preparatory study for the painted bas-reliefs found beneath the statue of Apollo in Raphael's 'School of Athens'. In the Neoplatonic program of the Stanza della Segnatura, these scenes of violent struggle represent the discord of the passions and the irrational nature of man, which are to be mastered by the philosophical reason depicted in the main scene.
Connected Texts
The School of Athens (Stanza della Segnatura)
This drawing is a direct preparatory study for the mock-reliefs depicted within the architecture of the fresco, specifically the scenes beneath the statue of Apollo.