_-_Bather_Turned_to_the_Left_-_LL_3595_-_Lady_Lever_Art_Gallery.jpg&width=1200)
Bather Turned to the Left
William Etty·c. 1805
Historical Context
A female figure turns away from the viewer, exposing the luminous curve of her back in this academy study from around 1805. William Etty, York's most famous painter, was virtually alone among British artists in devoting his career to the nude figure. He continued attending life-drawing classes at the Royal Academy well into his fifties, long after such practice was considered unnecessary for an established artist. The Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight preserves this work, testament to the Victorian taste for Etty's flesh painting that Lord Leverhulme shared.
Technical Analysis
Etty models the figure with rich, warm flesh tones built up through successive glazes, a technique he learned from studying Titian and Rubens during his Italian travels. The turned pose allows him to explore the play of light across the broad plane of the back. His brushwork is fluid and confident in the figure, contrasting with the more summary treatment of the background.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the turned pose allowing Etty to explore light across the broad plane of the back — the luminous curve exposed in this academy study from around 1805.
- ◆Look at the rich, warm flesh tones built through successive glazes learned from studying Titian and Rubens.
- ◆Observe the fluid, confident brushwork following the body's contours, with the turned pose eliminating facial expression to focus purely on form and surface.
_-_Head_of_a_Cardinal_-_FA.72(O)_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum.jpg&width=400)
_-_The_Ring_-_997-1886_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum.jpg&width=400)
