Hunter Museum of American Art

Analysis

Known for his definitively realistic view of nude forms, Philip Pearlstein removes the idealization often associated with the nude to show the female form as it is. The faces are barely seen and so the figures are anonymous, allowing us to look at the body for its shapes and its contours. As Pearlstein explained, "I see my paintings as cool, formal studies of models posing in my studio. There is not action depicted, no narrative, no editorializing on my part."