Unabashed sensuality, blended with strength and individuality make up this composition. A slender, pale nude figure climbs the jagged edge of a cliff. Both the pose and the gradual tones seem to melt into the rock. This black and white art nude explores both the subject matter and the technique. The pose is somewhat erotic, though not in a confrontational way. The tones may at first appear monochrome, however, they contain hints of cool purplish shadows and warm highlights. In this way, the term “black and white” is more of a figure of speech than a precise description.
Despite the dichotomy of surfaces, the unprotected figure seems strangely at home in this unforgiving environment. Symbolizing perseverance and unmistakable eroticism, she summarizes an attitude of expressing open sexuality in defiance of the status quo. A comment on an arduous journey in pursuit of individuality and self-expression.
Soft pale skin sits in contrast to an immovable cliff face. The body is both stretched out with the extended leg and compressed with the tucked head and arms. Her legs converge in tantalizing shadow, a modicum of modesty in this erotic portrait that doesn’t quite reveal everything.
The pattern of the rocks in this black and white art nude is primarily of horizontal lines. These are punctuated by dark circles and ovals. A divide between the left and the right of the image opens upward from beneath the figure.
The figure occupies approximately a third of the vertical space and half of the horizontal space. This makes her ivory body appear dwarfed by the surrounding dark areas. This proportion yields a figure study that is not quite intimate and not quite voyeuristic.
