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Nude Walking with Cupid

William Perkins Babcock

1870

charcoal

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century Nude

Dominant colour

Nude Walking with Cupid is a 1870 charcoal by William Perkins Babcock, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: William Perkins Babcock
When & what style?: 1870 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This drawing depicts a nude woman walking with a winged child, likely Cupid. The woman is shown from the waist up, with her right arm raised and her left arm bent at the elbow. She is wearing a headband and a draped cloth around her waist. The child is standing on her left leg, looking down at the ground. The background of the drawing is dark and indistinct, with some hints of foliage and a light source coming from the top left. The overall mood of the drawing is one of quiet contemplation, with the woman and child lost in thought. The use of charcoal and black crayon gives the drawing a sense of depth and texture, and the artist's attention to detail is evident in the subtle expressions on the faces of the figures. To learn more about the artist's techniques, look up scumbling.