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Lot Essay
This painting almost certainly dates to the early part of 1918: the paint handling and distinctive pink and yellow palette of the flesh tones of the face are echoed in a further, more complex nude with still life study from the same year, Figure Study (Northampton Museums and Art Gallery). This young nude also echoes the raised arms pose of the Northampton nude and his ballet studies of the same year. The treatment and paint-handling, very much under the influence of Cézanne, are also similar to the multi-coloured, multi-faceted handling found in the Garsington landscapes of this period (such as The Pond, 1917, Government Art Collection).
Moreover, the strong blue background echoes a dominant use of blue in other figure studies from 1918: three of his four known boxing studies from 1918 also prominently feature a similar blue.
Gertler's correspondence suggests that he had found a young model of 11 years of age in January 1918 and hoped to make a painting of her. He began in February and the work was probably completed by April 1918. It was possibly then shown in The London Group's May 1918 show as no. 3, 'Nude'.
We are very grateful to Sarah MacDougall, who is compiling a Mark Gertler catalogue raisonné for Yale, for preparing this catalogue entry.
Moreover, the strong blue background echoes a dominant use of blue in other figure studies from 1918: three of his four known boxing studies from 1918 also prominently feature a similar blue.
Gertler's correspondence suggests that he had found a young model of 11 years of age in January 1918 and hoped to make a painting of her. He began in February and the work was probably completed by April 1918. It was possibly then shown in The London Group's May 1918 show as no. 3, 'Nude'.
We are very grateful to Sarah MacDougall, who is compiling a Mark Gertler catalogue raisonné for Yale, for preparing this catalogue entry.