https://emuseum.cornell.edu/internal/media/dispatcher/90250/fullStudy of a reclining nude model from behindca. 1926–29Image: 17 x 22 1/2 inches (43.2 x 57.2 cm)Watercolor over pencil on cream laid paperGift of Professor Howard E. Evans, Class of 1944, and Mrs. Evans93.0310Paintings19299527190Sir Jacob EpsteinHere 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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