Michael Leonard British, 1933-2023
Dressing 33, 1981

POA

Graphite pencil on paper
signed (with artist’s monogram) and dated (lower right)
18cm × 14.5cm (39cm x 31cm 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, or 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. 17.