Saville made this work in preparation for a large-scale painting, entitled Branded, during her final year at The Glasgow School of Art. Branded was among the works Saville included in her acclaimed graduation exhibition, for which she was awarded the Newbery Medal (the highest accolade given to a student at the art school). Study for Branded is typical of Saville’s early works in which she presented naked female figures in a direct and uncompromising way. Taking up the subject of the female nude, frequently painted by male artists throughout the history of art, Saville took a feminist perspective and confronted notions about idealised beauty.