The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (265 page)

(1885–1954).
French sculptor, designer, and illustrator, born in Paris, where he trained as an ornamental stonemason. His early work shows the influence of
Rodin
, but in 1911 he became a friend of
Braque
(he later met
Gris
,
Léger
, and
Picasso
) and he was one of the first artists to adapt the
Cubist
style to sculpture. He made collages, reliefs, and constructions of wood and metal, mainly still lifes using the familiar Cubist repertory of bottles, glasses, and fruit. Much of his work was coloured, but he retained a genuine sculptor's feeling for mass, and his distrust of intellectual speculation preserved his independence from Cubist theorizing. In the mid-1920s he moved away from his geometrical style to one that featured curved lines and voluptuous forms, notably in female nudes. Many of his fellow artists regarded him as one of the greatest sculptors of his time, but financial success and official recognition were slow in coming. When he failed to win the first prize for sculpture at the 1948 Venice
Biennale
,
Matisse
was so disgusted that he offered to share his own painting prize with him. In 1953, however, Laurens won the Grand Prix at the São Paulo Bienale. Apart from sculpture, his work included stage design for
Diaghilev
and numerous book illustrations.

 
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(1856–1941).
British painter, mainly of portraits. He was born in Belfast and studied in Glasgow, in London, and then in the early 1880s in Paris (at the
Académie
Julian and elsewhere). Between 1885 and 1896 he lived mainly in Glasgow (see
GLASGOW SCHOOL
), then settled in London, although he travelled a good deal and often wintered in Morocco, where he bought a house in about 1903. Lavery had an immensely successful career as a fashionable portraitist (particularly of women), painting in a dashing and fluid, if rather facile, style. He also painted interiors, landscapes, and outdoor scenes such as tennis and bathing parties, and he was an
Official War Artist
, 1917–18. His reputation did not long survive his death, but there has recently been a revival of interest in his work.

 
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(1769–1830).
The outstanding English portrait painter of his generation. Lawrence was a child prodigy and was almost entirely self-taught. He was also handsome and charming, and after a resounding early triumph with his portrait of Queen Charlotte (NG, London, 1789) he never looked back in terms of professional and social success. On the death of Reynolds in 1792 he succeeded him as Painter in Ordinary to the King, and on the death of
Hoppner
in 1810 he was recognized as the leading portrait painter of the time, and also to some extent as head of the profession of painting in Britain. The high point of his career came in 1818, when he was sent to Europe as the envoy of the Prince Regent (later George IV) to paint the heads of state and military leaders who were involved with the allied victory over Napoleon. As a preliminary gesture he was knighted, and on his return in 1820 he succeeded Benjamin
West
as President of the
Royal Academy
. The portraits painted on this tour are now in the Waterloo Chamber, Windsor Castle. Lawrence was devoted to the memory and example of Reynolds and in some respects he was the last of the great portrait painters in the 18th-cent. tradition. In others he was a
Romantic
, responding to the glamour of the historic years through which he lived. His fluid and lush brushwork won the admiration of French painters when his work was exhibited at the Paris
Salon
of 1824 and after
Delacroix
visited London in the following year he paid Lawrence the compliment of painting a portrait in his style (
Baron Schwiter
, NG, London). Lawrence's reputation declined after his death, however, and has never revived to its former heights. He was constantly in debt in spite of his success and took on too many commissions, so his work is uneven and sometimes careless (and like Reynolds he was a failure as a history painter), but at his best he has a feeling for paint that few British artists can rival. Lawrence was a man of great taste and made one of the finest collections of Old Master drawings ever assembled, particularly rich in works by
Michelangelo
and
Raphael
(these are now among the greatest treasures of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford). He played a part in founding the National Gallery and in securing the
Elgin Marbles
for the nation, and was noted for the unselfish help he gave to young artists.

 
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(1873–1939).
American painter, the least distinguished and most orthodox member of the
Eight
. Unlike the other members of the group he was primarily a landscapist (although he did also paint urban scenes), and his work was essentially
Impressionist
in style.

 
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lay figure
.

An articulated model of the human figure, jointed so that it can be given all kinds of poses. It may be anything from a few inches in height to life-size. Articulated dolls and marionettes were known in antiquity, but the first description of an artist's lay figure is given by
Filarete
in his
Treatise on Architecture
(1461–4). Although
Vasari
mentions a life-size wooden model made by Fra
Bartolommeo
, the early lay figures were mostly small and were called manikins. The 18th-cent. portrait painter used a life-size model, completely jointed and covered with knitted fabric. He could arrange the costumes on it and work on that part of the picture in the absence of the sitter.