Resting Athlete (Amateur Resting)

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Copied Luigi Lucioni, Resting Athlete (Amateur Resting), 1938, oil on canvas, 43 1⁄2 × 48 in. (110.5 × 121.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2025.19

Artwork Details

Title
Resting Athlete (Amateur Resting)
Artist
Date
1938
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
43 1⁄2 × 48 in. (110.5 × 121.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure male — full length
  • State of being — other — sleep
  • Occupation — sport
Object Number
2025.19
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2025.19

Artwork Description

Images of ultra-muscular, heroic male bodies pervade American art of the 1930s, including several in this installation, so Lucioni's Resting Athlete stands out as exceptional for its languid sensuality. 
Lucioni recruited a friend, Cuban socialite Raoul de Carrera (who was not a boxer), to model for this painting. Here, the seminude "athlete" lies on a bed that is draped in a silk boxing robe. A framed print after a drawing by Michelangelo hangs on the wall, evoking Lucioni's connection to European old masters and to Italy, his country of origin. 
The artist's fine, proto-photorealist style, which articulates distinct textures of skin, silk, and wool, enhances the work's sensuous appeal.