Standing Nude Girl
1826 to 1850
Medium
charcoal on off-white laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 62.2 x 44.5 cm (24 1/2 x 17 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Julius S. Held Collection, Avalon Fund
Accession Number
1984.3.12
Art Historical Context
Thomas Hovenden’s “Standing Nude Girl” is a sensitive charcoal study on off-white laid paper that captures the quiet poise of a young figure. Created sometime between 1826 and 1850, the drawing measures roughly 24½ by 17½ inches and demonstrates the careful observation of anatomy and light that formed the backbone of nineteenth-century academic training. Hovenden, an American artist later celebrated for his realistic genre scenes, used the medium’s velvety blacks and subtle gradations to model the body with both delicacy and strength. Charcoal on laid paper was prized for its ability to recor...
About the Artist
Thomas Hovenden
Comment on works: Portraits