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Nude

Edward Weston; Cole Weston

Artwork Details

Nude
1934, printed 1970-71
Edward Weston; Cole Weston
gelatin silver print on paper
3 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in (8.89 cm x 11.43 cm);13 5/16 in x 14 15/16 in (33.81 cm x 37.94 cm);14 5/16 in x 19 1/4 in (36.35 cm x 48.89 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by a gift from Photography students of the Art Department and Professors Philip Davis, David Reider, and Chauncey Korten, through the Friends of the Museum of Art
1971/2.132

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Description

Weston's model for this study of the female form was Charis Wilson, whom he later married. By hiding his sitter's face, Weston makes the viewer focus on the formal arrangement of the limbs and the sensuous contours of the body.

Subject Matter:

In this photograph, a female nude poses in a way that creates a rectangular form of interlocking limbs which curve and meet in sensuous shapes. Her face is concealed, which focuses attention on the abstract qualities of the body. Small details as the part in her hair, tresses resting on her shoulder and soft leg hair provide a sense of the individual. The model is Charis Wilson, whom Weston married in 1931. She became integral to his life and work as a muse and partner. She wrote his Guggenheim application, which he was awarded in 1937, notably as the first photographer recipient.

Physical Description:

Female nude seated with legs crossed, knee up, face hidden in arm.

Usage Rights:

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