National Gallery of Australia | Audio Tour | The Edwardians

A study of a male nude in Julian’s atelier, Paris exemplifies works produced at the Académie Julian by many artists at this time. Typically, the subject is observed against the light, contre-jour, involving a close study of local colour. Munnings described his time at the Académie Julian in the first volume of his autobiography, An artist’s life(1950): Julian’s in the Rue du Dragon soon became a second home … All were friends. Some advanced students were painting the most wonderful studies. Large canvases surprised us with their truth, drawing and colour … Youth, enthusiasm and small expenses bore us along week by week.’