Sarah Pickstone, Preparatory drawing for the An Allegory of Painting project, a composition based on Angelica Kauffman's Invention, 2018.
Watercolour on arches watercolour paper. 302 mm x 406 mm. © Royal Academy of Arts. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London.
This image is not available to download. To licence this image for commercial purposes, contact our Picture Library at picturelibrary@royalacademy.org.uk
Preparatory drawing for the An Allegory of Painting project, a composition based on Angelica Kauffman's Invention, 2018
Sarah Pickstone (b. 1965)
RA Collection: Art
On free display in Collection Gallery
This watercolour is a compositional study based on Angelica Kauffman's painting Invention. It was produced by Sarah Pickstone as part of her project An Allegory of Painting which took place at the Royal Academy in 2018-19 as part of the programme of events to celebrate the institution's 250th anniversary.
Pickstone produced two paintings for the project - Belvedere and The Rainbow - which were both exhibited at the Academy. The Rainbow is based on Kauffman's Colour but Kauffman also drew from the other three works in Kauffman's Elements of Painting set including Invention.
In Kauffman's Elements of Painting, women are depicted actively painting and drawing, in contrast with traditional, passive representations. By focusing on their active gaze and gesture, Pickstone 're-sees' the history of the Royal Academy and of women artists in general.
Object details
302 mm x 406 mm
Start exploring the RA Collection
- Explore art works, paint-smeared palettes, scribbled letters and more...
- Artists and architects have run the RA for 250 years.
Our Collection is a record of them.
Related articles
-
![Sarah Pickstone, The Rainbow]()
RA Exhibitions
6 years ago
My art agenda: Sarah Pickstone
Sarah Pickstone, alumna of the RA Schools, discusses the inspiration behind her new works in Burlington House, her co-operative studio and the democratic nature of drawing.
-
![RA cast display installation]()
Our Collection
6 months ago
Video: Historic casts are re-installed at the RA Schools
After years in storage, watch as our cast collection is re-installed around the RA Schools.
-
![Richard Cosway RA, Richard and Maria Cosway, and Ottobah Cugoano (detail)]()
Our Collection
1 year ago
Untold Stories
Recent research reveals how the Royal Academy’s founding artists worked amidst Britain’s imperial expansion in the 18th century, the transatlantic slave trade, and a growing abolitionist movement.
-
![Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA,, Self-portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA]()
Our Collection
> 1 year ago
Creative inspiration today from the first President of the Royal Academy
The RA’s founding President Joshua Reynolds may have shaken up the art world when he delivered his ‘Discourses’ lectures, but are they still relevant now? We take a closer look at what artists and art-lovers can learn from the series today.
