Heracles and Antaeus

Baldung's Heracles and Antaeus from 1531 depicts the mythological combat with the characteristic physical intensity that marks his approach to the male nude. The subject of heroic physical struggle allowed Baldung to explore his interest in anatomy and bodily extremity within a classical framework. Oil on canvas — by the sixteenth century the dominant medium for ambitious works — allowed successive glazes of transparent color and freedom to rework the composition.

The straining, interlocked bodies demonstrate Baldung's powerful draftsmanship, with the muscular tension rendered in sharp, precise contours and vivid, warm flesh tones.