_-_Studies_of_a_Female_Model_-_DUNUC_ARTS-33_-_University_of_Dundee_Fine_Art_Collections.jpg&width=1200)
Studies of a Female Model
William Etty·c. 1805
Historical Context
Studies of a Female Model, painted around 1805 and now in the University of Dundee Fine Art Collections, shows multiple poses of a female figure on a single canvas — a common practice in life-class sessions where the model changed position at intervals. These multi-pose studies demonstrate the academic training method that Etty maintained throughout his career. The University of Dundee's fine art collection preserves this work within the educational context for which such studies were originally created, maintaining the connection between artistic practice and institutional learning that was central to British academic art education.
Technical Analysis
Executed with sensuous flesh painting and attention to dramatic chiaroscuro, 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.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the multiple poses of a female model on a single canvas — a common practice in life-class sessions where the model changed position at intervals.
- ◆Look at the sensuous flesh painting and dramatic chiaroscuro characterizing these early studies from around 1805.
- ◆Observe the academic training method of recording multiple poses documenting the range of figures Etty explored.
_-_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)
