Figure Study of a Woman Bending Forward

Invenio, the Latin root of the word ‘invention’, means to find or discover, a reference to the Renaissance belief that artists do not create ideas from nowhere, but rather reveal their physical form. In this rough chalk study, the figure of a woman seems to emerge from the page, gradually brought to life through the artist’s skill. Burne-Jones made countless studies of human figures and drapery which he translated into paintings, embroidery, stained glass and tapestry.