Reclining Nude (c. late 1890’s / early 1900’s) – SOLD

This classically simple and beautiful reclining nude by Norman Lindsay displays his skill at capturing the sensual nature of the female form. Norman Lindsay is famous for his mastery of drawing, both in pencil and pen and ink, chiefly because he was a perfectionist and practised constantly, drawing female figures in every conceivable position. His artistic skill became apparent when he was a very young boy. When he was a child, Norman was often unwell and so he learnt to remain still and quiet, giving him plenty of time to draw which created a habit of a lifetime with Norman constantly drawing.

This delicate pen and ink is a rare example of Norman Lindsay’s very early work, most likely drawn at the beginning of his artistic career, probably in the late 1890’s or early 1900’s. Single figure nudes constitute an important component of Lindsay’s body of work. He drew the female figure right from the start of his career and all through his long life with many of his nude drawings produced at his Bridge Street studio in Sydney in the 1930’s when he had access to professional artist models who posed for paintings. Lindsay’s single figure nudes displayed his love of Classic expression and reflected his move away from specifically Australian subject matter after  World War I as he championed the cause for an Australian renaissance of the classical tradition.