Study of Female Nude in Profile
Artist
Susan Watkins
(American, 1875 - 1913)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1897
MediumConté crayon drawing on laid paper
Dimensions28 1/4 × 18 1/2 in. (71.8 × 47 cm)
Overall, Frame: 35 × 28 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. (88.9 × 72.4 × 4.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 35 × 28 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. (88.9 × 72.4 × 4.4 cm)
Credit LineBequest of Goldsborough Serpell
Object number46.76.001
Not on view
DescriptionOne of a collection of miscellaneous drawings and oil sketches. This is the right side profile of a woman with her hair up. It is a study of the female nude in profile.Label TextSusan Watkins American, 1875–1913 Study of Female Nude in Profile, ca. 1897 Conté crayon drawing on laid paper Susan Watkins mastered the depiction of the human body by studying live models, as seen in this fine Conté crayon drawing. Its crisp lines and shadows would have been praised by her teachers in the art academies of New York and Paris. This talent and training helped Watkins become a successful and respected painter in the Impressionist style. She died shortly after her marriage to Norfolk native Goldsborough Serpell, who later gave a large and beautiful collection of Watkins’ paintings and drawings to the Museum. Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell 46.76.001 ProvenanceThe artist, Susan Watkins Serpell, bequeathed to her husband, Goldsborough Serpell, 1913; Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell to the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1946; Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences transferred to the Chrysler Museum, 1971. Exhibition History"The Gentle Modernist: The Art of Susan Watkins," Waitzer Community Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., May 15, 2002 - March 2003. "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010. "Drawn from the Vault: Collecting American Works on Paper at the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, May 10 - July 27, 2014.
