Staande vrouwenfiguur 1765 - 1834

Thomas Stothard made this sketch of a standing woman, using pen and wash, sometime between 1770 and 1834. It’s a study of classical female drapery, a common subject for artists who came out of the Royal Academy schools. Consider the place of drawing academies in Georgian England. They shaped artistic production by establishing a canon of taste, based on classical forms. Here, the figure's dress is reminiscent of ancient Greek or Roman sculpture. The use of monochrome wash emphasizes form and shadow, also evoking classical statuary. Although Stothard trained at the Royal Academy schools, he soon moved into the commercial world of illustration. It’s likely that this sketch was made in preparation for a print, perhaps for a book or magazine. To better understand this drawing, it would be interesting to compare it with Stothard’s finished prints and book illustrations, also to consider the wider culture of the Royal Academy schools. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.