Walter Richard Sickert R.A. (1860-1942)
Girl on a Bed - Camden Town
Oil on canvas
Signed
15 1/4 x 12 1/4 ins (38.5 x 31 cms)
c.1911-12
SOLD
Provenance
With The Mayor Gallery, London
Private collection, UK (acquired c.1950) and thence by descent
Sickert did not begin to paint the intimate figure subjects for which he is best known until 1903, at the age of 43. Although renowned for his 'Camden Town Murder' paintings, most of his figure scenes are not full of sinister drama but instead reflect moments of everyday, intimate life - capturing the mundane transactions and everyday settings. A woman seated on her bed engaged in an activity, such as sewing or knitting, was a subject that Sickert found especially appealing. Naturalistic, requiring no elaborate presentation or framework, it satisfied Degas's precept of observing his subject as if looking through a keyhole.