The Great American Nude #13 1961

Tom Wesselmann made this painting, Great American Nude #13, using a combination of painting and collage. There's something so playful in the way he mixes those flat, fleshy tones of the nude with the pop of that polka-dot blue. It’s all about how the materials collide. I love how the paint is applied so smoothly, almost like vinyl, making it feel super graphic and bold. And the collage elements – that patterned textile and flag fragment – give it this tactile, real-world dimension that messes with the clean finish of the paint. The way the nude is just a shape, a form, but still suggests so much—it’s not really about a person, but more about the idea of a body, a kind of landscape. And the red backdrop? It's so unapologetically loud. Wesselmann reminds me a bit of Matisse in how he simplifies forms, but with a total Pop Art twist, throwing everyday objects and images into the mix. It’s a bit brash, a bit funny, and totally captivating.