WR Watkins

Many of WR Watkins’ paintings from the 1920s seem rather grim and downbeat despite that decade’s reputation as roaring. Watkins was a colorist, so this choice of somber palette sends a signal. ...

A short journey from pencil sketch to watercolor study. share:

Formal dress required, except for the model. Photograph by WR Watkins of his painting class at the Maryland Institute of Arts, c.1930s. Smoking allowed. share:

Here is a behind-the-scenes pairing of paintings — both of the same model at the same pose, probably made in succession. The first is a quick sketch with only brief color and textural attention; the second, while still loose, is a much more detailed and fleshed out iteration. share:

WR Watkins’ figurative style in the 1920s alternated between a sinuous realism and a blocked-out sketchism that looks almost primitive, but in a good way. Here are two of the latter: share:

Four pencil sketches, all from the 1920’s. share:

Here’s a trio of sketchy Watkins paintings from the 1930’s with the washed-out ghostly style he favored in that decade. You can see more examples of this tendency in an earlier post. share:

Okay, this is the most ’60s-style hair we’ve found on a Watkins model. Nothing more to say, except that it continues his fascination with painting nude backs. See here and here for more examples. share:

We just found this snapshot by WR Watkins from one of his 1960’s sittings. It pretty closely maps to this painting from the same period, same model. Extraneous objects have been removed but the blanket is still a match. ...

One of the distinguishing features of WR Watkins’ work is his attention to the faces of his models, which brings them closer to portraiture than figure study. He frequently paints his nudes in direct confrontation with the viewer, something we’ve characterized as the Watkins stare. H...