Academic Nude, Reclining on a Sofa
Medium
salted paper print from wet collodion negative
Dimensions
image: 15.8 × 21.2 cm · matted: 40.6 × 50.8 cm
Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1998.55
Tags
About this artwork
Before becoming a photographer and writer on photographic theory, processes, and techniques, Belloc produced watercolors and miniatures. By 1851, he had established a commercial studio in Paris, specializing in portraiture and nude studies. In this example, he carefully positioned his model with favorite props, such as a chaise longue and copious amounts of rich drapery. Natural illumination in the skylit studio clearly defines her sensuous body with bright highlights and rich shadows. The luxur...