Another Life Model

Back in the days of innocence, before the public became aware that children - even horrid boys - could be objects of lust, it seemed proper and probably cheaper to offer a street urchin a few coppers to pose as a life model, rather than employing a lusty wench, who might well distract the would-be artists from their work. "Nice boobs, Michelangelo, but what about the rest of the model?" This life study, Boy With Ball (detail), by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, proves what a superb artist he might have become had he not been seduced by Impressionism. This anonymous sandy cherub remains arguably his finest work of art.