Woman seen from behind (recto)
Maker
(artist)
1852-1931
1852-1931
Title
Woman seen from behind (recto)
Date of Production
(circa) 1890
Medium
black chalk (recto and verso) on laid paper (examined under microscope)
Dimensions
Height: 31.5 cm
Width: 24 cm
Width: 24 cm
Accession Number
D.1982.LB.6
Mode of Acquisition
Lillian Browse, gift, 1982
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
Label Text
In this swiftly-executed drawing of a ballet dancer viewed from behind, Forain uses thin, wiry lines extending in all directions from the figure’s waist to suggest the expansiveness of her tutu. Several of these expressive lines reach the edges of the sheet, thrusting the dancer close to the picture plane and emphasising her immediate presence against an almost entirely blank background. Considering her claw-like left hand and largely undefined face, it is apparent that Forain was more interested in rendering the shape and stance of her body than its anatomical details.
Provenance
Lillian Browse (1906-2005), purchased around 1972; Lillian Browse Gift 1982
Exhibition History
The Dancer - Degas, Forain and Lautrec, Portland Art Museum, USA, 02/02/2008-11/05/2008
A Private Collection of late 19th and 20th century Paintings and
Sculpture, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 12/02/1983-10/04/1983
A Private Collection of late 19th and 20th century Paintings and
Sculpture, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 12/02/1983-10/04/1983
Literature
The Dancer - Degas, Forain and Lautrec, Portland Art Museum, USA, 2008
p. 244
A Private Collection of late 19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculpture, Courtauld Institute Gallery, London, 1983
cat. no. 16
p. 244
A Private Collection of late 19th and 20th century Paintings and Sculpture, Courtauld Institute Gallery, London, 1983
cat. no. 16
Inscriptions
Watermark: Watermark: Verso, right edge: "E. COQUELIN".
Inscription: Recto: lower right corner, black chalk or charcoal, signed by the artist: "forain".
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower right corner, black chalk or charcoal, signed by the artist: "forain".
Collector's mark: none.
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