Two Female Nudes (verso)

Two Female Nudes (verso), painted around 1830 and now in the Courtauld Gallery, is another life study from Etty's prolific attendance at the Royal Academy life class. Painted on the reverse of another work, these paired figure studies demonstrate the economy of Etty's studio practice and his tireless dedication to observing the human form. The standing and seated poses create visual contrast while demonstrating different anatomical challenges. The Courtauld Gallery's collection of such studies documents the academic life-drawing tradition that was central to British art education throughout the nineteenth century and that Etty championed with particular devotion.

Executed with sensuous flesh painting and attention to robust modeling, the work reveals William Etty's characteristic approach to composition and surface. The treatment of light and the careful modulation of color create visual richness within a unified pictorial scheme.