ⓒ Work in copyright. All rights reserved.

Nude

Maker

(artist)
1879-1961

(wood engraver)
1879-1961

(publisher)

(printer)

Title

Nude

Date of Production

1918

Medium

woodcut

Dimensions

Height: 18.6 cm
Width: 11 cm

Accession Number

B.1958.PD.3.9

Mode of Acquisition

Pamela Diamand, gift, 16.5.1958

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

© Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS 2023

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords






Label Text

In 1918, the Omega Workshops published a book of woodcuts by its participating artists. Bell contributed two prints: a floral still life and this meditative female nude, based on her
recent painting The Tub (now in the Tate). Although she was new to woodcut, Bell quickly embraced the technique’s strong tonal contrasts and varied textures. She also
found it a valuable tool for rethinking compositions. Here, the compression of space
transforms the sense of isolation that pervades The Tub into a scene of warmth and intimacy.

Notes

Bell based the composition of this print on her 1917 painting The Tub (Tate, inv. no. T02010). Although she was new to woodcut, Bell quickly embraced the technique’s strong tonal contrasts and varied textures. She also found it a valuable tool for rethinking compositions. Here, the compression of space transforms the sense of isolation that pervades The Tub into a scene of warmth and intimacy.

Provenance

Roger Fry (1866-1934); by descent to his daughter, Pamela Diamand; Pamela Diamand gift, 1958

Exhibition History

Vanessa Bell: A Pioneer of Modern Art, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 25/05/2024-06/10/2024

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