John William Waterhouse - Study for the Head of Venus in The Awakenin…

See source: The present sketch demonstrates Waterhouse’s vigorous and confident way of painting, the head of Venus appearing to evolve from the expressive brushstrokes of paint. He had reused a canvas bearing the sketch for the putto on the far left of the finished painting’s composition. When the sketch was sold at Christie’s in 1926, following the artist’s death its connection to The Awakening of Adonis was not recognised and it was titled A Wood Nymph.

Artist: John William Waterhouse. License: Public domain. Source

#aphrodite-in-post-antique-art #1920s