Portrait of a Young Man by Edward Clifford, 1879. Pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper; 15½ x 14 inches (39.5 x 35.5 cm). Private collection. Click on image to enlarge it.
Clifford has once again chosen a handsome young man “stunner” for this fancy portrait, again supporting the contention that Clifford was gay. Aristocratic women were his favourite subjects for commissioned portraits, but young men appear to have been the favoured subjects for his more poetic portraits. His sensual portraits of male youths do not appear to have been exhibited which is how he likely how he escaped criticism of such works being labelled as “unmanly”. Even Burne-Jones had been criticised for the rather androgynous appearance of men in his compositions who did not present a physical masculine ideal, and he was faced with accusations of effeminacy in his art.
Last modified 9 February 2023