(below, highlighted detail of female face and male back)
Drawing
Female and male nude figures
Colored pencils on Canson white 50-pound, acid-free paper
October 2004
Dimensions: paper 14-3/4 inches (about 37 cm) high by 18 inches (about 45 cm) wide; image about 12-1/2 inches (about 32 cm) high by about 13-1/2 inches (about 35 cm) wide, positioned in right three-fourths of the paper
Reminiscent of the dramatic, vigorous, muscular nudes of Michelangelo and other Renaissance masters, the male figure was one of the first male nudes I've created so far. A man climbs and struggles up barren, lifeless rock, to reach tenderly -- tentatively -- for the touch of his beloved. His body is so expressive, we need not see his face to feel his overflowing emotion.
The woman is draped luxuriantly over the rock, gently curling with anticipation and yearning. Her eyes are closed; is she also overcome by emotion, or is she afraid to open her eyes, fearing that it is all just a beautiful dream?
(The female figure is adapted from a photograph of Italian actress Monica Bellucci. I came across this lovely photo by chance, and there was no photographer credit on it. I would be grateful if someone will let me know the name of the photographer, so I may properly seek permission and thank them for such a stunning photo.)
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Go back to see more drawings and paintings in the Figures gallery