Baltimore born William Paxton moved with his family to Newton Corner in the mid-1870s. At age 18 he was awarded a scholarship to the Cowles Art School in Boston, studying under Dennis Miller Bunker. He later studied in Paris with Jean-Léon Gérôme, and upon returning to Boston, continued his studies with Joseph DeCamp at Cowles.
Paxton co-founded the Guild of Boston Artists and taught at the Museum School from 1906 to 1913. His work is admired for its meticulous attention to light and detail, especially in the portrayal of flesh and fabric. His portraits often featured idealized young women in beautiful interiors. In 1928, Paxton was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design.
Paxton was working on his final painting, a view of his living room, when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 72.
In Phryne, Paxton captures a young nude woman contemplating a small statue of Phryne, the famous Greek courtesan. Painted during a peak period in Paxton’s career, when he was working alongside the painters of the Boston School, the work stands out not only for its technical mastery but also for its embodiment of timeless beauty. Paxton is best known for his portraits of elegantly dressed women in romantic settings, but his nudes are particularly revered for their refinement and grace.
Phryne, who was accused of, and later acquitted of impiety in ancient Greece, became both a wealthy woman and a muse for renowned artists like Apelles and Praxiteles. In this painting, the model’s pose with the statue of Phryne serves as a subtle commentary on both her own role as a symbol of idealized beauty as well as Paxton’s place among the great artists of history.
Paxton exhibited Phryne at the 119th Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1924, where it was awarded the Philadelphia Prize by popular vote, the third nude in four years to win this honor. Despite some protest over the award, Paxton defended the public’s judgment, noting, "There are always soreheads as the result of an award of prizes at an art exhibition...The public is entitled to an opinion of course…” The painting was shown again in 1935 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, where it again received the highest number of votes in a popular referendum.
"Pennsylvania Academy Shows Orthodox Art: Conservative Tradition Upheld in 119th Annual—Only a Few Moderns Creep In—Excellent Showing of Sculpture," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, February 17, 1924, vol. 84, no. 47, sec. B, p. 2B.
Boston Traveler, March 18, 1924. E. L., "Philadelphia Likes Pictures of Nudes: For the Third Time in Four Years Popular Prize at the Academy Show Goes to Such a Painting,"
The Art News, New York, March 29, 1924, vol. XXII, no. 25, p. 1.
Philadelphia Public Ledger, March 29, 1924. E. Castello, "Art in Philadelphia,"
The American Magazine of Art, New York, May 1924, vol. 15, no. 5, p. 269.
H.A. Read, "The Winter Academy," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, November 23, 1924, vol. 84, no. 327, sec. B, p. 2B. "Paxton Nude Wins Corcoran Prize: Boston Artist First in Popularity Voting for Fourth Time.,"
The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., April 30, 1935, no. 33,236, p. A-2. (as Nellie Looks Down on Phryne) "'Nellie,' the Nude, Steals the Corcoran Art Show From 'Red Moore,' Another Smitty,"
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, May 8, 1935, yr. 94, no. 127, p. 19. (as Nellie Looks Down on Phryne)
E.W. Lee, M.F. Krause, Jr., R.H. Ives Gammel, William McGregor Paxton, 1869-1941, exhibition catalogue, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, p. 115. P.H.
Falk, A.A. Bien, eds., The Annual Exhibition Record of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Volume III, 1914-1968, Madison, Connecticut, 1989, pp. 362-63, nos. 25, 128. (as Phryne and Nellie Looks Down on Phryne)