Science Instructing Industry: Nude Study
Kenyon Cox American
Not on view
Cox created multiple preparatory studies for his oil painting Science Instructing Industry (1898; Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland). Committed to precision, the painter used a grid system to ensure that the composition was properly proportioned, an important skill he developed during his student years at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. This study was most likely the last in the series (see also 50.101.1 and 50.101.3), as he added the outlines of the other figures and background elements into this sketch along with the nude male figure. Like other painters associated with the American Renaissance, Cox contrived to let the female form assume various allegorical guises by simply changing the props, setting, or title according to the requirements of a project.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.