Female Model on Platform Rocker

1977-1978

A key figure in the revival of realism in the 1960s, Philip Pearlstein experimented briefly with landscape before arriving at his signature subject: the nude model in the studio. Working directly from life, he created crisply and objectively rendered images of candid nude bodies. In this composition, the body of the reclining figure is dramatically foregrounded. The close-up vantage point is reinforced by the abrupt cropping and tilted perspective, while harsh lighting casts decorative shadows against the wall, creating an interplay between realism and abstraction.