The Diadem

This lovely nude is a fine example of Norman Lindsay’s mastery of pencil drawing, his fascination with the female nude, and his ability to capture the individual character of his models.

“Diadem” means a crown and many of Lindsay’s models were embellished with beautiful head-dresses and crowns, adding to the general exoticness of his works.

Norman Lindsay’s single figure nudes constituted an important part of his pencil works and many of them were created at his Bridge Street studio in Sydney from the 1930’s when he had greater access to professional artist’s models. During the 1930’s, Norman perfected the muscular configurations of the female nude from every conceivable angle.

Lindsay kept the names and addresses of over 300 models and was noted for his respect and professionalism whenever dealing with the models for his paintings.

Norman generally signed his pencil drawings with his initials “N. L.” rather than with his full name.

He continued to draw all his life and was still sketching for the hospital nurses right up to his death in 1969.  His last work was a pencil sketch of a koala.