About this artwork
Eardley frequently painted clothed figures, but this starkly painted nude is unique in her work. The figure is painted in confident, block-like brushstrokes in the manner of Nicolas de Staël. The model was Eardley’s friend Angus Neil, who posed for her on a number of occasions in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The painting aroused controversy when it was exhibited in Edinburgh in 1955 since it was considered daring for a woman to paint a naked man. After receiving such unfavourable press, Eardley did not complete any similar subjects.
Updated before 2020
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artist:
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title:Sleeping Nude
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date created:1955
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:76.00 x 155.20 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Presented by Mrs Irene Eardley 1964
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accession number:GMA 897
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Joan Eardley
Joan Eardley
Born in West Sussex, Eardley moved to Glasgow at the outbreak of war. She studied at Glasgow School of Art and at Hospitalfield House under James Cowie. Cowie helped to shape her preference for everyday subjects. In 1949 Eardley rented a studio in the centre of Glasgow, and a few years later moved...