Dame Laura Knight is an artist that caught my eye while looking through the national portrait gallery with her work, Self-Portrait with Nude. What was interesting about this painting is that it really stood out against the bleak faces of men covering every wall. Most of the paintings in this gallery, while visually beautiful, often depicted the figure as static. Few of the portraits depicted movement or action, and what made this painting stand out what the feeling of the figures being caught in the moment.
What I also really enjoy about this painting is its cleverness. This is a painting with a very clear statement. Dame Laura Knight was trained at the British Royal Academy, and was the first Woman to be elected full membership. One of the common troubles of this era for women artists though was that they were not permitted to draw from the nude model. Instead they had to draw from casts and other peoples drawings. As a figure based artist, Knight was not especially happy about this. In fact, she very vocally resented this rule and constantly challenged it. This painting is a strong statement against the art institution and the art world in general.
What I love the most about this painting though is the fascinating perspective of watching the artist (Knight) paint the painting in her paintings. This was done using several mirrors, and the end result is a fantastic piece of art.
What is interesting is that this painting had plenty of positive reviews to go along with the negative. While it was not permitted to be shown at Royal Academy exhibitions, for several years it toured around England and other countries as a fantastic work of art.
Laura Knight is a fascinating artist, her talent transcended social barriers and she helped pave the way for many more female artists in England. I greatly respect her work and I really admire this painting. Learning about her is an experience I won’t soon forget. I also learned that ‘Dame’ is the title given to women who were knighted, so she is Knight Laura Knight, which is also pretty amazing.
(Pictures by me)