Drapery study for "A Venus"
Albert Joseph Moore British
Not on view
This sensitive study of semi-translucent drapery falling over the back of a chair relates to Moore's painting "A Venus" (1869; York Art Gallery). In the latter, a similar arrangement appears at left placed next to an idealized nude woman who stands before flowering branches and next to two vases. The artist was a leader of the Aesthetic Movement whose proponents believed subject matter to be less important than beautifully arranged forms and harmonious colors. When preparing a composition, Moore made studies of figures, draperies and details which reveal how his ideas developed. His choice of rough brown paper to serve a support for studies was taken up by James McNeill Whistler who used it for pastel drawings.
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