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Figure of a Man - Back View

George Benjamin Luks

American Art

Early work as a newspaper illustrator made George Luks adept at recording quick, on-the-spot sketches, such as this drawing. Despite the cursory treatment of forms, he conveyed a sense of his subject’s individuality through such details as the bunched sleeves, the distinctive fedora, and the creased skin at the back of the neck. The man’s stance suggests that he—like the artist—has stopped to observe some urban spectacle. Indeed, Luks constantly roved the bustling streets of New York City with sketchpad in hand.
MEDIUM Black Conté crayon on off-white, medium-weight, smooth wove paper
DATES n.d.
DIMENSIONS Sheet (irregular): 10 1/8 x 8 3/16 in. (25.7 x 20.8 cm)  (show scale)
SIGNATURE Unsigned
COLLECTIONS American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 58.43.3
CREDIT LINE Dick S. Ramsay Fund
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION George Benjamin Luks (American, 1867-1933). Figure of a Man - Back View, n.d. Black Conté crayon on off-white, medium-weight, smooth wove paper, Sheet (irregular): 10 1/8 x 8 3/16 in. (25.7 x 20.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, 58.43.3 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.43.3_IMLS_PS3.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 58.43.3_IMLS_PS3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Orphaned work
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