Berla Czobel, Reclining Women 

Bela Czobel sketched these Reclining Women with ink on paper. Here, the reclining pose carries a potent echo of classical antiquity. We see shades of the Venus Pudica, that archetype of modesty and allure. Yet, Czobel's line is urgent, less concerned with ideal form, more with raw expression. Think of Titian's Venus of Urbino, then consider how Manet scandalized the motif with his Olympia. Now, this drawing! Each time, the reclining figure becomes a vessel. Desire, power, vulnerability - they shift with the ages, etched into the collective memory. This drawing, in its starkness, lays bare the primal tension at the heart of this age-old pose. It's not just a woman reclining; it’s an emotional landscape, laid out for us to traverse again and again. An emotional memory handed down.