Late Summer (Nude) 

Robert Brackman painted this nude, entitled ‘Late Summer’ with oils in the United States during the twentieth century. Nudes of women are not uncommon in the history of painting, and the way they are presented tells us a lot about the times in which they were made. How does this one fit into that story? What is the relationship between the figure and its setting? Is she an integral part of that landscape, or is she alienated from it? What can we tell about the figure from her pose and facial expression? And what is the significance of the pitcher beside her? To answer such questions, scholars might investigate the artist’s background, the institutional contexts in which he studied and exhibited, and the cultural politics of his time. Doing so helps us to see art as something contingent upon social and institutional conditions.