Caryatid

Duncan Grant 21 Jan 1885 - 8 May 1978

Summary

A stylised primitivist figure of a woman as caryatid. The subject kneels on one knee with her arms folded, holding up a simple ball shape on her head. The artist uses a collage of fabric to depict the cloth draped around the woman's lower body. A collage of painted paper forms the background. Her facial features are simplistic and stylised, and her thick legs have an Amazonian quality.

Display Label

Caryatid about 1917 Duncan Grant 1885 - 1978 Oil, paper and fabric collaged on canvas In Classical architecture, a caryatid is a column, carved in the shape of a beautiful woman. Grant's influences are African and modern French art. He created Caryatid for a fireplace in his own home. Much later it was framed and exhibited but it is unlikely that originally it was made to last: the badly stuck collage of torn painted paper was quite a challenge for our conservation staff. Grant was involved with the Omega Workshops where artists could earn a steady income from modern interior design work. This environment encouraged him to experiment with form and materials in his painting as well. Caryatid can be seen as one outcome of this. Purchased 1964.286