The Golden Girl

Through the 1920s Procter painted the human figure in the classical tradition, the elegant simplicity of her paintings part of a modern and new classicism which was a move away from the overtly modernist pre-war ‘machine age’ works. Dod Procter’s best works are considered to be her paintings of women, with her ability to paint softly draped clothes and her mastery of tonal harmonies. One of these paintings ‘Morning’ was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1927 and the reaction to the painting made Dod one of the most famous artists of her day. It was sent on tour to 23 British cities, went on two ocean liners, and was bought by the Daily Mail for the Tate gallery as a ‘Gift to the Nation’. Procter had an ability to depict the human figure as something monumental, sculptural and timeless. Her paintings of women of this time conveyed a beauty and elegance which harked back to classical civilisation, speaking directly to a nation traumatised by the First World War.

c. 1930

Oil on canvas

71.0 x 57.0cm

318

© Estate of Dod Procter. All rights reserved 2019 / Bridgeman Images. Image courtesy of The Ingram Collection.

This work is part of The Ingram Collection of Modern British & Contemporary Art and was on loan to the Lightbox for the exhibition "Redressing the balance: Women Artists from The Ingram Collection" (11 August - 20 September 2020).