Woman Standing with Hands Behind her Head 1980

Curator: This pastel and colored pencil drawing, titled "Woman Standing with Hands Behind her Head," was completed by Arthur Bowen Davies in 1980. The figure stands against a simple brown ground. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: I’m immediately struck by the materiality here – the texture, it seems almost like she’s emerging from the brown paper. There is a tension between vulnerability and strength. Her pose suggests a kind of nonchalance, but the medium seems so delicate. Curator: Indeed. Note how Davies uses layering and contrasting colors to delineate form. The soft blues, yellows, and reds of the figure are laid with quick strokes that appear unrestrained yet evoke depth. One could argue it almost mimics impressionistic brushwork. How might you relate this material to her attire? Editor: The soft rendering echoes the garment she wears. It’s difficult to tell for sure with the material at hand, but she seems draped in something practical and common like cotton, suitable for the labor class – far removed from, say, satin or silk which carry markers of elitist display. And what about the process behind works such as this? Curator: That’s certainly plausible when considering her attire. Structurally, the lines contribute a visual and directional energy. They create a tension in a deceptively simple portrait, adding complexity through a dance of color, shade, and form that gestures to classical sculpture with subtle grace and innovation. Editor: Classical references are evident in the model's pose, even though the labor and economic connotations are present through both materiality and her attire. Considering its temporal setting, how does this portrait challenge or reflect historical artistic conventions depicting the female form? Curator: Through the application of pastel and pencil, Davies navigates abstraction and representation, inviting introspection on the artistic interpretation of humanity—it transcends mere depiction, evoking introspection and the complexity of representing the human form. Editor: Considering that materials, production, and class are linked with this portrait, this piece provokes thought regarding who art is *for*, which materials are used, and how the depiction affects the work's final consumption. Thank you, this has provided great food for thought! Curator: My pleasure; the ways structure informs content reveals the artist’s capacity to intertwine the classical and the individual through deceptively humble means.