Study of two female figures 1840 - 1895

Thomas Hovenden made this study of two female figures in pencil, although the exact date is unknown. Hovenden was an Irish-American artist known for his genre paintings, often depicting scenes of American life and history. In this sketch, we can see Hovenden working out the composition of a more finished piece. The grid overlay suggests a method for scaling up the drawing, perhaps for a larger painting. This reveals a lot about the academic artistic practices of the time. Artists were trained through rigorous exercises in drawing and anatomy, often within institutional settings like art academies. These institutions shaped artistic production by establishing standards of taste and technique. To fully understand Hovenden's work, we might delve into the archives of art academies, examining their curricula and teaching methods. We could also explore the social and cultural values that informed Hovenden's choice of subject matter and his artistic style, remembering that these were contingent on specific social and institutional contexts.