60 × 50cm

oil on canvas

2021

Part of a series of paintings from 2021 exploring the artist’s model, female nudes and the interior.

These nudes were painted from vintage reference photographs for artists, these artist models were photographed by Bertram Park, in a publication co-authored by Yvonne Gregory and C. Montague Ellwood in 1926. The authors of ‘Living Sculpture’ frame their work in scientific and anthropological terms, building on the reputation of art schools (particularly the Slade) for drawing from life as the foundation of good art. Touching also on neo-classical art history references, ideals of beauty, narrative and a legacy of allegorical bodies. These women are anonymous muses, adaptable to the artists purposes, photographed for convenience, and reproduced anonymously here.

I have placed the model in an interior inspired by the photography of Francesca Woodman (1958-1981). Woodman made photographs often featuring her own body as a model, her sparse light filled interiors merging with the figure.