Robert Preston, “Seated Figure, Life Class, 7th May 1966”

Robert Preston (Dr Robert Preston) (born Yorkshire 1942–)

“Seated Figure, Life Class, 7^th May 1966”, 1966, charcoal on buff coloured paper, backed with a support card.

Size: (support card) 35.4 x 25.6 cm; (sheet) 24.7 x 20.4 cm.

Signature in charcoal at lower right: “Preston.”

Inscribed by the artist in pencil on the backing card below the drawing: (left) “7^th May 1966.”; (right) “Life Class.”

Preston’s training, as revealed in this early life class charcoal drawing of a seated female figure, is explained very well in Preston’s following interview with Anneke Silver (1989): “I had an odd combination of teachers and lecturers in my foundation year [at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, London] especially. One of the most significant influences on my drawing activities was Euan Uglow, one of the post-war generation Euston Road painters and a student of Sir William Coldstream and Victor Pasmore. Uglow introduced me to measured drawing a la Euston Road School, a particularly objective way of looking at reality” (“Robert Preston: Inner Visions: Observation, Abstraction and Imagination, 1955–2021”, 2021 (exh. cat.), Townsville, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, p. 9).

Condition: There are losses/chips to the right edge, otherwise the sheet is in a good condition for its age with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions or significant stains.

I am selling this small and very beautiful charcoal drawing showing the artist’s exceptional sensitivity in establishing the figure’s spatial position within the room, for AU$720 (equivalent to approximately US$457.83, EUR 403.81, or GBP 345 at the time of listing) and includes Express Mail Service (EMS) postage and handling to any worldwide destination. Please note that any import duties or taxes levied by the destination country are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the purchase price. Payment is requested in Australian dollars (AU$720).

If you are interested in purchasing this very rare early life class drawing by one of Australia’s master artists, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.