Study of a reclining nude model from behind

Artist Sir Jacob Epstein (British, 1880–1959)

Dateca. 1926–29

MediumWatercolor over pencil on cream laid paper

DimensionsImage: 17 x 22 1/2 inches (43.2 x 57.2 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Professor Howard E. Evans, Class of 1944, and Mrs. Evans

Terms

Paintings
Watercolor over pencil
cream laid
British

Object number93.031

Label CopyHere Epstein sets the fleshiness of the model against the delicate fringe of the blanket. The tiny red bud of the lips is like a spark in the composition—there is a smoldering quality to this drawing, more overtly sexual than usually found in a nude study. The unidentified model is most likely Kathleen Garman, who was Epstein’s model and muse despite his other liaisons and a longstanding marriage. Garman was the mother of three of his six children and, eventually, the second Lady Epstein. (“Drawing the Line: 150 Years of European Artists on Paper," curated by Nancy E. Green and presented at the Johnson Museum January 20–June 10, 2018)

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