Figure Drawing: Herbert Draper

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Herbert Draper - Victorian Nudes

Herbert Draper was one of the premier painters of Victorian nudes. The illustration is of "The Vintage Mourn."

The description published along with this typogravure:

"A realist Mr. Draper certainly is not; but yet in all his work the influence of minute observation and elaborate selection is very strongly felt. It will be interesting to see what will be the nature of his progress in. coming years. At present he is working a vein in which the romance of history and the romantic aspects of nature are very happily blended; but whether this will continue to satisfy him as he approaches middle age must necessarily depend very largely upon the extent of the encouragement he continues to receive. It may be his good fortune to permanently secure and retain recognition so intelligent that he will be allowed the fullest scope for the development of his imagination, or he may find himself limited against his will by influences against which he will be powerless to struggle. Concerning his capacity as an inventive painter of imaginative subjects he has left no doubt, but latterly he has also proved himself to have peculiar qualifications as a portrait painter. He is a fine draughtsman, an able manipulator, and is particularly fitted by his analytical habit to observe and appreciate those details of character which have so much to do with the correct realization of an interesting personality. Whatever he does is likely to be done well; he has laid too secure a foundation for after-work to fail for want of proper contrivance. "

Links to another blog post on Herbert Draper with examples of paintings: Amy Crehore.

Another drawing at the Victorian Web.