By Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
"Siesta", 100x70cm / 39x27.5in Nude in Interior, pencil and ultramarine tempera on paper, inspired by Matisse.
Large drawing. Shipped rolled in a tube, from Florida, US.
"Siesta" is a serene and visually arresting addition to the "Nude in Interior" series. It conveys a quiet intimacy and relaxation, perfectly encapsulated in its title. The reclining female figure, with legs elegantly extended upward, creates a sense of balance between stillness and subtle energy. The interplay of ultramarine tempera and the warm-toned paper once again demonstrates the artist’s ability to use limited color palettes to great emotional and visual effect.
The ochre-like background provides a sunlit, tranquil atmosphere that pairs beautifully with the cool, calm energy of the ultramarine tempera. The artist’s choice of medium emphasizes contrast while imbuing the piece with a harmonious duality—warmth in the environment and coolness in the figure. The fluidity of the brushstrokes aligns with the theme of relaxation, while the vertical drips lend a dreamlike quality, as if the figure is melting into her surroundings. The looser strokes in the background contrast with the more defined lines of the figure, highlighting her as the focal point.
The unconventional reclining pose, with legs extended upward, adds visual interest and a sense of lightheartedness to the piece. It suggests a playful yet completely relaxed moment, as though the figure is unwinding and stretching in the midst of a private, comfortable setting. The verticality of the legs and the drips juxtaposes with the horizontal lines in the background, creating a sense of structure and stability. This geometric balance anchors the composition and enhances the overall sense of calm. The artist has included abstract horizontal strokes in the background, reminiscent of blinds or a window. These subtle details suggest an interior space filled with sunlight and add depth without detracting from the figure’s prominence.
The title, "Siesta," reinforces the narrative of rest and tranquility. The figure’s pose is unapologetically casual and unguarded, evoking the vulnerability and freedom found in moments of private repose. While other works in the series explore themes of introspection, passion, or desire, this piece focuses purely on physical and emotional relaxation. It offers a more subdued, meditative perspective, providing variety to the series while maintaining its stylistic coherence.
The reclining nude is a recurring motif in art history, seen in works by Titian, Ingres, and Modigliani. However, this piece’s contemporary execution—fluid, minimalist, and abstracted—ties it more closely to modernist traditions, particularly the gestural energy of Egon Schiele or Matisse’s reclining nudes. The artist’s decision to leave much of the environment abstract enhances the piece’s timeless quality. The figure feels anchored in both a specific space (suggested by the window-like strokes) and an almost dreamlike, universal realm.
"Siesta" is a masterful exploration of rest and serenity, demonstrating the artist’s ability to convey mood through form, color, and composition. The elegant simplicity of the figure, combined with the abstracted interior elements, invites the viewer to share in this peaceful moment. Its balance of gestural abstraction and classical themes makes it both timeless and distinctly modern. This piece is a beautiful representation of intimacy, calm, and the universal human experience of seeking rest.
Artist Statement
"I started by painting interiors, being interested in space and perspective through my studies. These scenes evolved, when I added the human figure. I focused more on the human figure and its relation to the background. The human figure is more present than ever in my paintings now.
As a woman artist I’ve been preoccupied with the female form and its imagery. One of my goals was to capture the solitary moments and the nude’s relation to the surrounding space.
My interest turned from depicting the space to rendering the atmosphere and the scene as a whole, the feeling a woman adds to the environment: warmth, desire, joy, a feeling of power and control, or the opposite – sadness, despair.
Here is a collection of figurative paintings, exploring the nudes in interior spaces, seeing the nudes from my perspective, as a woman artist, considering the physical and spiritual realities of a woman’s body, in a new level of intimacy. My paintings are the opposite of objectifying a woman’s or a man’s anatomy. Painted works, featuring female nudes and a also men nudes...
Category
2010s Contemporary Martin Puryear Art
MaterialsTempera, Pencil, Archival Paper
