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Lot Essay
Vaughan was one of the foremost painters of the male nude in Britain during the post-war years and Nude Against a Rock is one of his more resolved depictions of the male form.
Possessing a thorough knowledge of Ancient Greek art, this painting is Vaughan’s homage to the statuary of the Classical period, which developed the harmonious proportions he so admired in sculpture. He has positioned the figure in a contrapposto pose whereby the weight is supported mainly on one leg, while the other is more relaxed. In the upper torso the opposite arm is in tension, holding the staff behind, while the corresponding arm hangs free. This has the effect of tilting both the hips and the shoulders and gently enlivens, what would otherwise be, a completely static figure. Placing him slightly to the left and twisting his head to the right augments this delicate animation and generates an overall sense of tranquillity and repose. We find comparable postures in Antique, Renaissance and Baroque sculptures and right through to the end of the nineteenth century.
In the distance an ominous sky and dark trees frame the figure’s naked form while, in the foreground, an imposing rock presses upon him. Vaughan offers us no information as to who this vulnerable figure is or why he stands here in this barren, rocky terrain. The intentional omission of particularising facial features precludes identification or character analysis. Similarly the absence of clothing prevents us making judgements about his social status or profession. By approaching the human form in this way Vaughan discourages us from imposing unintended narratives and, consequently, the figure becomes more universalised. While the nude in the painting may not be identifiable, we do know who the model was. Vaughan had met Johnny Walsh in the Black Horse pub in Soho the year before. He recorded their meeting in his journal:
'January 8, 1956:
Unforeseen encounter on New Year’s Eve with Johnny Walsh. L’Archange of Jean Genet. Captivating face of a young boxer. I invited him to come & let me draw him sometime. He finally arrived one afternoon last week. His clothes, all of which he at once took off, assuming that to be my wish, were either stolen or given to him. He gave me full details of his life. Brought up apparently in a perfectly respectable working class family. Became involved with a car-stealing gang, ran a small-scale brothel (‘only 10/- a time’) & was finally caught & sentenced for petty larceny. Is now just released & has ‘no fixed address’ as the police would say. Lives by pickpocketing. All this he told me sitting naked beside the stove in my studio'.
One of the most notable qualities of Nude Against a Rock is Vaughan’s treatment of the figure’s anatomy. He has broken it down into small facets and angled planes of colour applied, for the most part, with a flat-ended brush. We are presented with an array of blocked-in but related fleshy tints of ochre, yellow and orange to describe the articulation of the athletic figure. The more neutralised hues of the setting serve to frame this flame-like human presence.
We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings for preparing this catalogue entry. His new book on Keith Vaughan's graphic art will be published by Lund Humphries later this year.
Possessing a thorough knowledge of Ancient Greek art, this painting is Vaughan’s homage to the statuary of the Classical period, which developed the harmonious proportions he so admired in sculpture. He has positioned the figure in a contrapposto pose whereby the weight is supported mainly on one leg, while the other is more relaxed. In the upper torso the opposite arm is in tension, holding the staff behind, while the corresponding arm hangs free. This has the effect of tilting both the hips and the shoulders and gently enlivens, what would otherwise be, a completely static figure. Placing him slightly to the left and twisting his head to the right augments this delicate animation and generates an overall sense of tranquillity and repose. We find comparable postures in Antique, Renaissance and Baroque sculptures and right through to the end of the nineteenth century.
In the distance an ominous sky and dark trees frame the figure’s naked form while, in the foreground, an imposing rock presses upon him. Vaughan offers us no information as to who this vulnerable figure is or why he stands here in this barren, rocky terrain. The intentional omission of particularising facial features precludes identification or character analysis. Similarly the absence of clothing prevents us making judgements about his social status or profession. By approaching the human form in this way Vaughan discourages us from imposing unintended narratives and, consequently, the figure becomes more universalised. While the nude in the painting may not be identifiable, we do know who the model was. Vaughan had met Johnny Walsh in the Black Horse pub in Soho the year before. He recorded their meeting in his journal:
'January 8, 1956:
Unforeseen encounter on New Year’s Eve with Johnny Walsh. L’Archange of Jean Genet. Captivating face of a young boxer. I invited him to come & let me draw him sometime. He finally arrived one afternoon last week. His clothes, all of which he at once took off, assuming that to be my wish, were either stolen or given to him. He gave me full details of his life. Brought up apparently in a perfectly respectable working class family. Became involved with a car-stealing gang, ran a small-scale brothel (‘only 10/- a time’) & was finally caught & sentenced for petty larceny. Is now just released & has ‘no fixed address’ as the police would say. Lives by pickpocketing. All this he told me sitting naked beside the stove in my studio'.
One of the most notable qualities of Nude Against a Rock is Vaughan’s treatment of the figure’s anatomy. He has broken it down into small facets and angled planes of colour applied, for the most part, with a flat-ended brush. We are presented with an array of blocked-in but related fleshy tints of ochre, yellow and orange to describe the articulation of the athletic figure. The more neutralised hues of the setting serve to frame this flame-like human presence.
We are very grateful to Gerard Hastings for preparing this catalogue entry. His new book on Keith Vaughan's graphic art will be published by Lund Humphries later this year.