Female Torso I 1962

"Female Torso I" by William Brice is a lithograph that is all about the dance of light and shadow. I imagine Brice working intently, carefully layering each mark to build up a sense of volume and depth. The velvety texture of the lithographic crayon gives the figure a tactile quality, like you could almost reach out and touch the skin. Look at the density of marks around the figure's head compared to the sparse lines that define her torso, there is a real push and pull between the abstract and the representational. It's interesting how this work relates to other figurative painters. Like, I'm thinking of how Brice shares a similar interest in the human form and the use of simplified forms to express emotions and ideas. Artists are always in conversation, riffing off each other's ideas across time. It's all one big, messy, beautiful exchange.