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Modelling from Life

Crowe

1868

oil

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Modelling from Life is a 1868 oil by Crowe, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Crowe
When & what style?: 1868 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

The painting depicts a group of men gathered around a sculpture of a seated figure. One man, dressed in dark attire and a red cap, is actively modeling the sculpture, while another man in a red tunic observes from the side. A third man, wearing a dark jacket and green pants, stands behind them, looking on. In the foreground, a man sits on a bed, appearing to be the model for the sculpture. The background of the painting features a cloudy sky visible through an open window. The artist's attention to detail and use of light and shadow create a sense of depth and realism in the scene. To learn more about the artistic techniques used in this painting, explore the technique of chiaroscuro.

The story of this work

Overview

The painting depicts three figures on the left dressed in Renaissance attire, with the rightmost figure sculpting a seated nude model on the right. Signed "E. Crowe" in the bottom right corner, it was commissioned in 1868 for a lunette recess in the National Competition Gallery, later removed and stored before being restored and reinstalled in 2010. Part of a larger decorative scheme completed between 1864 and 1876, the work was overseen by Richard Redgrave and Henry Cole, with later lunettes featuring historical genre painters from the St John's Wood Clique. The gallery served as a space for…

Read the full account in the museum source.