Honky-Tonk Girl
About this artwork
This drawing reflects Burra’s delight in the cabarets, bars and nightspots he frequented in Paris and Toulon. Specifically, it relates to the ‘folies’ – the extravagant music-halls of Paris which Burra visited regularly in 1929. The dancers at these ‘folies’ wore cut-away dresses and regularly flaunted naked torsos as they danced with high kicks: much like Burra’s central figure who is framed in the spotlight. Typical of Burra’s style of this time, she displays a mask-like face with a large, lipstick smeared mouth. Burra’s desire to capture the sense of movement shows a debt to Vorticism and his deep admiration for the satirical drawings by George Grosz is also evident. There is a drawing of a seated woman on the verso.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Edward Burra (1905 - 1976) English
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title:Honky-Tonk Girl
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date created:1929
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materials:Pen and ink on paper
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measurements:55.50 x 38.00 cm (framed: 77.60 x 58.90 x 2.00 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:Bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
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accession number:GMA 3947
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gallery:
Edward Burra
Edward Burra
English artist Edward Burra lived all his life in the Sussex seaside town of Rye, but travelled extensively. He studied at Chelsea Polytechnic and at the Royal College of Art, London. Burra's preferred medium was watercolour, although he did make some collages and occasional designs for the theatre...