Henry De Waroquier (1881–1970) Seated Female Nude - Pencil And Wash On Paper

Seated Female Nude
Pencil and wash on paper
49 × 38 cm
Signed “H. de Waroquier” lower right
Framed under glass

This work by Henry de Waroquier depicts a seated female nude, rendered with great graphic freedom. The model, depicted from the front in a pose that is both assertive and natural, occupies almost the entire sheet. The monumentality of the body contrasts with the artist’s economical use of means.

Waroquier constructs the figure through an alternation of bold lines and areas shaded with wash. The outline, at times firm, at times broken, lends the body its movement, while a few darker passages structure the volumes and suggest the space around the model. The face is rendered with greater precision: the eyes, hair, and facial features are quickly yet effectively characterized.

The drawing does not seek an academic representation of the body. The proportions are deliberately powerful, certain lines are repeated or duplicated, and the corrections remain visible. This freedom of execution gives the work its lively character and reflects the importance Waroquier attaches to drawing as an autonomous means of expression.

Henry de Waroquier (1881–1970) was a French painter, draftsman, printmaker, and sculptor—a singular figure in 20th-century French art. An independent artist, he developed a personal body of work drawing inspiration from both Western tradition and his interest in ancient and non-European arts. A painter of landscapes, figures, and religious or mythological compositions, Waroquier also placed great emphasis on drawing and printmaking. Over the course of the century, his work evolved toward an increasingly free form of expression, in which line, distortion, and the expressive power of the figure often took precedence over naturalistic representation.He exhibited at the major Parisian salons, and his work is now held in several French public collections, notably at the Musée national d’Art moderne – Centre Pompidou and the Musée d’Art moderne de Paris.

In this Seated Female Nude, the energetic line, visible corrections, and the model’s physical power are particularly evocative of this expressive approach to drawing.

A large-scale drawing, powerful and spontaneous, in which Henry de Waroquier transforms the nude into a true exercise in graphic freedom.