Ottocento Nude Drawings and Watercolors

"Fall to Grace" is an original ink and watercolor painting on paper mounted to wood by artist Robert Kraiza measuring 19in height x 9in width. Artist Statement // In my work I invoke a whimsical world inspired by Victorian and Edwardian eras. To me they represent a romantic time period that has roots that extend directly into the modern world, both good and bad. The customs and aesthetics of the period are both fascinating and breathtaking but a vast portion of the population was victim to subjugation. It has since been eradicated on paper but still permeates to this day. I am exploring an imagined supernatural world hidden just out of sight where these woman could escape. This is an evolution from my earlier work set in the same time period with a continuous thread of humans and their animal companions. Through witchcraft these women find strength in their abilities and each other to leave the oppressive world they inhabit behind and escape to the woods to their Covendom, the boundary that defines the territory of their coven. They shed their customs, their corsets, and their concerns at the edge of the forest and gather among the trees to explore their magical potential with their familiars at the side. This body of work is exploring multiple media with a consistent theme and setting; combining watercolor painting, pen and ink illustrations, and graphite drawings. All pieces are created in monochrome on hot press watercolor paper mounted on wood with a gold painted border reminiscent of daguerreotype frames. Watercolor allows me to achieve results ranging from soft ethereal layered washes similar to oil glazes to precise minute details I include in all of my works. Bio // ROBERT KRAIZA (pronounced: cry-zuh) is an illustrator and fine artist who lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He studied Media Arts and Animation at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Interested in many media, he often paints in monochrome watercolor on a small scale, inspired by the Victorian era and whimsical dreams in both his art and personal aesthetic. Depicting fantasy worlds from the hidden life of nineteenth century witches to miniature children...

A Fabulous Mid-Century Female Nude Studio Figure Study By Noted Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting a Seated Nude, the drawing is ink and watercolor on paper an...

Estate stamped, verso, for VIctor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and created circa 1955. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Victor di Gesu first attended the Los Angeles Art Center and...

Gabryela Wasowicz is a Polish painter born in 1947. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Warsaw and then at the Gerrit Rietveld Akademie in Amsterdam. Once she graduated in 197...

'Reclining Nude' Louvre, Salon d'Automne, Académie Chaumière, LACMA, Carmel Signed lower right, 'Di Gesu' for Victor Di Gesu (American, 1914-1988) and created circa 1955. Winner of...

Mata Hari is an original charcoal and watercolour drawing on paper, realized around the early 1970s by the great Italian artist and journalist, Mino Maccari (Siena, 1898 - 1989). Si...

These recently discovered 1983-84 oversize pastels on archival papers were created working quickly, in pastel. The series shows the last existing obs...

Figurative male nude drawing made of graphite, charcoal, and conte crayon on Arches paper 30 x 20 inches, unframed This unique life study drawing of a standing male nude was made...

Figurative drawing with graphite, charcoal, and conte crayon on Arches paper 30 x 19 inches, unframed One piece of 30 x 19 inch Arches paper. Two drawings on opposite sides. These u...

Despite its explicit content, this intimate scene conveys a sense of tenderness and romantic love characteristic of Chinese erotic art. Known as “spring palace paintings,” these ink and watercolor illustrations imagined the sensual delights of courtly life. Taken from an album of erotic paintings, this framed leaf departs from a tradition of depicting lovers in risqué outdoor settings by picturing an amorous coupling in a distinctly Qing-dynasty interior. The uniquely detailed surroundings shed light on the prevailing aesthetic tastes in decor and furniture of 19th-century China. Note the carved wooden headrest, blue and white censer...

'Modern Dancers', pastel, ink and gouache on fine art paper by French artist, singer and sculptor, Mick Micheyl (1964). Two elegant young men are depicted in a graceful dancing pose, arms outstretched, their lithe bodies so agile and limber. Perhaps one of the dancers was her friend, Philippe, to whom the painting is dedicated on the bottom. The dedication says: 'For you Philippe, all my friendship'. Signed: 'Mick Micheyl'. The work has been newly framed and glazed after having been acquired in the S. of France. It is in fair vintage condition commensurate with age showing minor blemishing on the paper. Upon request a video of the piece can be provided. Dimensions with Frame: H 75 cm / 29.5" W 61 cm / 24" Dimensions without Frame: H 56 cm / 22" W 42 cm / 16.5" About the Artist: Mick Micheyl (1922 - 2019) was born in Lyon and had a busy and rewarding artistic career as a singer, producer, reviewer, metal sculptor, artist. After having received training at the School of Fine Arts in Lyon she became a painter and decorator in the theatre but then commenced a career in the musical activities of a theatrical troupe. She won the ABC competition in Paris in 1949 with a song, Le Marchand de Poésie, which she composed herself. She then performed in many cabarets: L'Échelle de Jacob, Harlequin and Liberty's. In the 1950s she was one of the most important French cabaret singers of that period. One of her titles, 'Un Gamin de Paris', became one of the French standards and also performed by Yves Montand and Robert Clary...

Two Lovers - 1957 Original Watercolor on Paper Original 1957 watercolor depicting two nude figures, a man and a woman, laying together by Louis Nadalini (American, 1927-1995). The m...