 In 1832 Etty returned to the theme of A Sketch from One of Gray 's Odes , exhibited in 1822 to such disdain from the press . The result was Youth on the Prow , and Pleasure at the Helm , which remains one of his best known works . Illustrating a passage from The Bard , a poem by Thomas Gray , Youth and Pleasure has been described as " a poetic romance " . It shows a gilded boat being propelled by the breath of a nude child on the sails ; one nude figure representing Pleasure languidly holds the helm of the boat . A nude child blows bubbles , which another nude on the prow of the ship , representing Youth , reaches to catch . Naiads , again nude , swim around and clamber onto the boat . 
