Life Studies

The 1960’s were an important period in Leda’s early development as an artist. Before beginning formal art studies, she was already making work that reflected a growing engagement with the human figure and with questions of presence, solitude, and inner life. The last of these works was completed in 1966.

Up to that point, Leda signed her works using only her first name. After 1966, following her separation from her husband, she began signing with her full name, including the surname Troedson. This change marks a clear shift in how she presented herself.

The five surviving ‘Life Studies’ belong to this period. ‘The Blue Nude’, painted in cool blues and greens, has a dreamlike quality, with the figure seeming at moments to dissolve into the surrounding space.

Two further works, executed in mixed media, use stronger colour and more animated lines. Reds, greens, and earth tones give them a different energy and a greater sense of movement.

Two monochrome works in black and white focus more starkly on the human form. Their reduced palette gives them a different weight and directness.

It is regrettable that only five ‘Life Studies’ are now known to survive. Many more once existed, but during her final move from Pietermaritzburg to Cape Town, Leda destroyed a large part of her work. Their loss leaves this period only partially visible.