William Etty: Art and Controversy

Nice exhibition at York Art Gallery examining the life and career of William Etty, the York born artist.

Having been at university in York I thought I knew the work of Etty well but this exhibition looked not only at the pictures but also at how they were received by his contemporaries. Many art critics at the time viewed his work as lewd due to his use of the female nude however a modern eye finds these figures delightful and maybe notices more of interest in his male nudes.


The first main gallery concentrated on the controversy but the others looked at other aspects of his careers. I loved the section looking at the role of life drawing in his career because there were these wonderful timeless nudes with Victorian hairstyles.

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