ARTWORK: Seated academic male. Done by the talented British artist, Vanessa Bell. She was both an artist and an interior designer. She was active in the early part of the 20th century. Model’s name was Stephen. Not much else is known. Some art scholars, say he was a lover. Others attribute him to local laborer who posed for male artists in the area.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
British academic painter and artist, Vanessa Bell (1879-1961). She was an English painter and interior designer, member of the Bloomsbury Group and sister of Virginia Woolf. She possessed a bold style and did a lot of academic studies of both men and women. Being a woman painting the male nude, did “raise some eyebrows,” however, she triumphed over the adversity and won awards and commissions.