Zittend naakt vrouwelijk model met hoog kapsel, ernaast nogmaals geschetst 1797 - 1849

William Etty made this drawing of a seated nude female model with a high hairstyle, and an additional sketch, in graphite, sometime in his career. The drawing presents a study in contrasts between finished form and preliminary sketch. Notice the highly rendered figure in the foreground, modeled with careful attention to light and shadow. Beside the figure we see Etty's initial thoughts. The ghostly presence of the sketched figure and the anatomical studies of hands and heads give us a glimpse into the artist's process. The contrast invites us to consider how Etty thought through the interplay of form and space. The drawing can be considered an essay in artistic intention, a discourse between the complete and the incomplete. It reflects the artist's formal engagement with line and volume. The juxtaposition of a highly refined figure with initial sketches destabilizes the conventional relationship between the complete work and the creative process.