Study for the Oil Painting 'Madeline Scott'

Summary

A head and shoulders study of a young girl wearing a wide brimmed hat and cape. The girl looks straight at the viewer, her head turned slightly to the left. A ribbon from her hat is draped round from the left across her front and up onto her left shoulder. She has long wavy hair and delicate features. Plain background.

Display Label

Drawings and Watercolours by Artists of the Pre Raphaelite Circle 11 October 2008 – 11 January 2009 Drawing is a more intimate activity than oil painting, and often better reveals the personality of an artist. In the 19th century individuality was often lost because of the rigid way in which drawing was taught. Artists in this display all rejected this academic training and, through drawing, developed their own individual style. They are often grouped together as Pre-Raphaelite because of their shared interests and concerns. Instead of working-up drawings laboriously with heavy shading to show volume and depth, they adopted a simple, more linear approach which they saw as more direct and honest. Although they associated this with early Italian art it also had much in common with the printed ephemera which had surrounded them since childhood, from cut-out toy theatres to book illustrations. They sought inspiration in history and literature, using the clear bright colours and simplicity they associated with medieval art. Friends were recruited as models to add realism. Drawing helped these artists to develop their ideas and produce works of great poetry and imagination. In addition to Holman Hunt and the Pre Raphaelite Vision in the gallery next door, you can see more Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the Victorian galleries on the first floor. Please note: we have set the light levels quite low in this gallery as drawings and watercolours are particularly sensitive to damage from intense lighting