Artwork
Blue Nude
Blue Nude is a pastel drawing by Arthur Bowen Davies. It dates from 1922 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1922, *Blue Nude* is a pastel drawing on wove paper by American artist Arthur B. Davies. Executed in the early 1920s, the work exemplifies Davies’s engagement with modernist tendencies while remaining within the traditional nude genre. The piece measures a modest size and presents a single figure rendered in a restrained palette of blues and pinks against an unadorned paper ground.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a solitary figure viewed in profile, the body turned slightly sideways with one hand positioned near the neck and a subtly bent leg suggesting a poised stance. The muted coloration and simplified pose convey a quiet introspection, aligning with Davies’s penchant for dreamlike, imaginative scenes that invite contemplation rather than overt narrative.
Technique & Style
The pigments merge to create delicate transitions between pale blue and pink tones, while the wove paper’s warm hue serves as a neutral backdrop.
Davies employed soft pastels, a medium that permits seamless blending and a hazy, almost smudged surface. The pigments merge to create delicate transitions between pale blue and pink tones, while the wove paper’s warm hue serves as a neutral backdrop. The overall effect is loose and sketch-like, emphasizing tonal harmony over precise line work and highlighting the artist’s skill in manipulating pastel’s fluid qualities.
History & Provenance
Arthur B. Davies, a pivotal figure in promoting modern art in the United States from 1910 to 1928, produced *Blue Nude* during a period when he was actively shaping American avant‑garde circles. The drawing has remained in private collections since its creation, with limited exhibition history, reflecting Davies’s broader practice of creating works that circulated among his contemporaries and patrons rather than through public institutions.
Artist & collection
Artist
Arthur Bowen Davies (September 26, 1862 – October 24, 1928) was an avant-garde American artist and influential advocate of modern art in the United States c. 1910–1928.
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