By Paula Craioveanu
Located in Forest Hills, NY
Nude in the Afternoon Sun, pencil and tempera on paper, inspired by Matisse.
Part of Nude in Interior series. Shipped rolled in a tube. Free shipping for item over $ 500 with 1stDibs code FREESHIP.
In mat and framed as they were in the February exhibition, for display purposes.
"In the Afternoon Sun" is an evocative and skillful piece that captures the interplay between light, shadow, and the human form with remarkable sensitivity. The artist’s use of ultramarine tempera on ochre paper transforms a simple moment—sunlight filtering through a window—into an artwork filled with vitality, sensuality, and rhythm.
The subject's upward-reaching gesture, with one arm stretched behind her head, creates an elegant, sinuous line that imbues the piece with energy and a sense of motion. Her relaxed expression contrasts with the dynamism of her pose, creating a balance between activity and repose. The figure’s directness, combined with the slight tilt of her head and the open nature of the pose, draws the viewer in, making her seem both vulnerable and self-assured. The intimacy of the moment is heightened by the interplay of light and shadow.
The striped patterns of light and shadow play a leading role, emphasizing the contours and textures of the body. These light effects are not only realistic but also deeply expressive, almost creating an abstract overlay that adds rhythm to the composition. The stripes of sunlight create a sense of dimensionality, as if the viewer is peering into a real scene. The interplay of warm ochre and vibrant ultramarine enhances this layered effect, making the shadows feel alive.
The artist’s loose, fluid lines lend the piece a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, suggesting that this is a fleeting, captured moment. The gestural strokes used to delineate the figure and the shadows allow the piece to feel natural and unrestrained. The figure is the undeniable focal point, with the bold ultramarine providing sharp contrast against the warm ochre. The background elements, though faintly suggested, remain unobtrusive, allowing the shadows on the body to take center stage.
The work’s focus on sunlight playing across the nude figure evokes a sense of warmth, intimacy, and sensuality. There is a tactile quality to the shadows, as if the viewer can feel the heat of the afternoon sun. The relaxed pose, combined with the tranquil mood of the sunlight, suggests a private moment of reflection or contentment. The piece feels deeply personal yet universally relatable.
The emphasis on light and its interaction with the human form recalls the Impressionist movement, particularly the works of artists like Degas and Renoir. However, the gestural modernity of the brushwork gives this piece a contemporary flair. Throughout art history, the relationship between light and the human body has fascinated artists, from Caravaggio's dramatic chiaroscuro to Matisse’s lyrical nudes. This piece situates itself within that rich tradition while bringing a fresh and immediate perspective.
"In the Afternoon Sun" is a masterful exploration of the interaction between light, shadow, and the human form, capturing both the physical and emotional warmth of a sunlit afternoon. The artist's ability to balance naturalistic detail with expressive abstraction makes this piece both visually stunning and deeply resonant. It’s a celebration of the human figure in its purest, most natural state—bathed in sunlight and alive with the rhythms of nature.
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 Paula Craioveanu Art
