Artwork
Figure study of a ballerina
Figure study of a ballerina is a watercolor work on paper by Mervyn Laurence Peake. It dates from 1938 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This watercolor by Mervyn Peake shows a ballerina drawn as a teaching example. It’s from 1938, when he taught life drawing at the Westminster School of Art.
He plays with thick gouache and thin watercolor washes to show different textures. It’s a quiet sheet—nothing yet of the dark fantasy work he later became known for.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
This 1938 watercolour by Mervyn Peake depicts a figure study of a ballerina, created as a teaching example during his tenure at the Westminster School of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, a ballerina, serves as a straightforward figure study, lacking the dark, fantastical elements that would characterize Peake's later work.
Technique & Style
Peake contrasts thick gouache with thinner watercolour washes to demonstrate varied textures, showcasing his technical approach in this instructional piece.
History & Provenance
Produced in 1938 for his life drawing classes at the Westminster School of Art, where Peake taught from 1935 to 1939.
Context
Created during Peake's formative period, before the development of his distinctive dark fantasy style, which would emerge during and after World War II.
Artist & collection
Artist
![Dancing Couple in the Snow [reverse], by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/ernst-ludwig-kirchner--dancing-couple-in-the-snow-reverse--87ca007d7c05b553-w320.webp)
