Study for the Nude Youth over the Prophet Daniel

What it is

This two-sided drawing in red chalk was made by Michelangelo around 1510-11 as he prepared to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The front (recto) shows a nude male figure with raised arms and a bent leg, one of the twenty athletic figures called ignudi that support the ceiling's central scenes. The back (verso) contains studies of feet, a head, and an arm. It is now held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Why it matters

Michelangelo spent four years painting the enormous Sistine ceiling. Before applying paint to wet plaster, he worked out poses like this one in red chalk. This drawing lets us see his working process directly — how he studied the human body in different positions before committing to the final fresco. It is a rare primary document of an artist's planning stage.

Look closer

• Why would an artist need to study a pose in drawing before painting it on a ceiling?
• What does the figure extending beyond the edge of the paper suggest about Michelangelo's ambition?
• What can the smaller studies of feet and a head on the back tell you about his process?