Jenny Saville, b. 1970

Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 1990

This early portrait from 1990 of the artist’s classmate exemplifies Saville’s use of the traditional in terms of subject and medium. Although this may appear to have been an unconventional choice, considering its connotations with classical male portrait painters and sitters, it provided an electric juxtaposition for Saville’s feminist-based subject matter and intense psychological exploration of her sitters. The subject is portrayed here without frills or fancy but with a powerful presence that fills most of the canvas plane, expressed most startlingly through her stance and posture as well as the artist’s vigorous brushwork.