Art Funded by you

Anatomical drawings

Sir William Orpen, c. 1906

OrpenÂ’s twenty large anatomical drawings are superb pieces of draughtsmanship, in addition to their interest as rare examples of teaching material. They were used by Orpen to teach his students anatomy, pinned up on the blackboard. In them Orpen depicts the bodyÂ’s structure of bone, the muscles which stretch over them and the way that limbs move. He was a highly regarded portrait painter in his lifetime but with the advent of modernism, the avant-garde eclipsed him in subsequent accounts of British art.

More information

Title of artwork, date

Anatomical drawings, c. 1906

Date supported

2011

Medium and material

Coloured chalk on black paper

Dimensions

Various

Grant

70000

Total cost

160000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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