Anders Zorn (Mora, 1860 - 1920, Mora)
Augustus Saint-Gaudens II, 1897
Etching on laid paper, 20 x 31.8 cm (7 7/8 x 12 1/2 in.)
This rectangular, black and white etching is horizontally aligned. In the foreground, sitting on the edge of an unmade bed, is a male figure, the American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He leans forward with his forearms on his thighs but looks up and out at the viewer. He has thick, dark wavy hair and a sparse mustache and beard. He wears a white shirt with long sleeves tucked into a pair of trousers. Somewhat behind Saint-Gaudens is the nude figure of a young woman. She reclines on her right side, perched on her right elbow and forearm. Her left arm leans forward, partially obscuring her chest. Her legs are pulled up in the fetal position and crossed at the ankles. She has dark hair that is pulled back, an oval face, and an expectant expression. Many long, dark vertical hash marks behind the woman make up the background. The plate is signed and dated on its lower right. Inscribed on the lower right of the plate is the name, Saint-Gaudens.
Short Gallery
Commentary
Is this still a studio scene? By depicting American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) with his young model, Hettie Anderson (1873–1938) on a bed, Zorn created something more like an intimate boudoir picture. Saint-Gaudens had an affair with Anderson and used her in multiple commissions. Zorn contrasts the older artist with the model’s youth and energy. Similar to Zorn’s own Self-Portrait with Model II, this portrait explores the charged relationship between male artist and female model.