Seven Figure Sketches: Standing Female Nude with Fruit; Madonna and Child (?); Two Female Busts; Recumbent Semi-nude Figure, etc. (from Sketchbook) 1810 - 1820

This sketchbook page was made by Thomas Sully using graphite on paper. Sully made his name as a painter of portraits, often working to commission for wealthy patrons. The material here is humble, a sketchbook and graphite pencil, the kind of tools you might find in any artist’s studio. But don’t let that fool you, it represents the bedrock of all artistic production. These sketches are not the finished product, but the essential groundwork required before commencing any of Sully’s more laboured artworks. The rapid, searching lines capture figures in a variety of poses. You can almost see the artist’s hand moving across the page, quickly noting down essential information about form and composition. Note that the artist is exploring religious themes alongside the more commercial nudes, demonstrating that the artist needs to have multiple ideas bubbling at any one time. So next time you see a grand portrait by Sully, remember the unseen hours of practice, the endless sketches that lie behind every masterpiece.