Reclining Nude, Mornington Crescent, 1905 (oil on canvas)

This is one of Sickert’s first nudes produced in the shabby surroundings of a lodging room, which he took at 6 Mornington Crescent, an insalubrious part of Camden Town, London. Over the following decade he produced a series of nudes in similar surroundings. The unidealised treatment of his nudes offended conventional taste and their murky settings prompted associations with the darker side of London life. The sketchy character of this painting conveys a sense of immediacy whilst the curvaceous quality of his line and the delicate glimmers of light contrast with the otherwise oppressive atmosphere of the room.