Stående nøgen kvinde. 1907 - 1908

Curator: Up next, let's consider "Stående nøgen kvinde", or "Standing Nude Woman," rendered by Othon Friesz, likely around 1907 or 1908. It’s a drawing in ink. Editor: Immediate impression? Utterly simple. Almost childlike in its directness, yet the line quality is so confident, so…fluid. It's as if he’s captured the essence of the pose in one go. Curator: Indeed. It’s striking how much information he conveys with so few lines. We might reflect upon the fact that these swift, economical lines share a spiritual connection to ancient methods. You find similar restraint, in let's say, Greek vase painting. There's an emotional connection between image and symbol which then develops across generations, as with the reemergence of Nude figures throughout various movements. Editor: You know, that reminds me of automatic drawing. Surrealists sought that very freedom. That unpremeditated flow from the mind through the hand. Is this a similar impulse, perhaps, distilled through Friesz's own… sensory impressions? Curator: It's tempting to draw that connection, especially given the period's exploration of subconsciousness, yes, but don't forget the legacy of Impressionism as seen in his application and approach here. He pares back representation but he simultaneously shows volume using careful, broad marks that hint at shadow. It speaks to a very modern way of depicting an age-old subject. The weight of the human form reduced to suggestion, really. Editor: A suggestion that packs a punch, though! This ink has aged well in evoking fleshiness without actually detailing anything at all beyond these calligraphic swipes of darkness! I feel the body heat—it lives and breathes on that paper! Curator: Absolutely, and let's consider what this particular "nude" is conveying. There's none of the classicized serenity or romanticism here, as we saw so often in nudes. I don't read any particular expression on this figure’s face; however, perhaps in that way she stands for a kind of universally human—perhaps "feminine"—presence or condition. Editor: And it also refuses to exoticize the model either; It all suggests something honest, even vulnerable... it feels as though we walked in on her! Maybe she doesn't even realize that she is naked, really, in terms of presentation versus reality within her private inner world...I imagine! Curator: It's fascinating how much emotional weight a seemingly simple sketch can bear. Editor: Absolutely. It has given me much to think about today. A perfect piece for a mid-tour refresh!