Long Delayed Nude 1967 - 1975

This is "Long Delayed Nude" by Tom Wesselmann. The title suggests this was a long time coming. The colors are mostly bright and flat, and the forms are simplified into something almost like collage. Look at the lips. They’re like one big, wet shape. It’s all about reduction and distillation of form. What do you think about that? Wesselmann's got a way of taking everyday stuff and making it, well, almost surreal. It's like he's saying, "Hey, this is life, isn't it weird?" He did a lot of nude paintings, and they’re kind of in conversation with artists like Matisse and Picasso. But his feel more like Pop Art. He’s part of a conversation across time, like we all are. And that’s what art does. It keeps talking, even when we’re not around to listen.