Michael Leonard British, 1933-2023
Bathers with Towels IV, 1980

POA

Graphite pencil on paper
signed (with artist’s monogram) and dated (upper right)
15cm × 18cm (39cm x 34cm framed)

Although most famous for his portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth in the NPG, from the 1970s up until his retirement from painting in 2009, Leonard created a series of paintings celebrating the male figure. The nude, particularly the male nude, has been a recurring theme in his work. “My figures are invariably caught on the move or in transition - I am fascinated by the subtle interactions of muscle, bone and sinew that come into play as a body moves. A half turn, a shift of balance, sometimes just an intention to move can animate an entire figure.”

This work features in Changing, 50 Drawings by Michael Leonard, 1983, Gay Men’s Press, p.39