Yau Ka Yee (Anna) talks on StandingNude1961 by Jochen Seidel

INTRODUCTION



-What is the name of the artist?
The artist is Jichen Seidel.

-What is the year the drawing was done?

It was done in 1961

-What is the medium?

The medium is pencil.

-What is the subject matter or general theme of the work?

The subject matter is a standing nude.

 

-What is the purpose of the drawing?

The purpose of the drawing is showing a standing nude.

DESCRIBE THE DRAWING IN DETAIL

-How is line used? What does it do/express?

Line is the main element in the work. The nude is expressed by lines. Different distributions of lines depict the contour of the body. The lines are unconnected and irregular.

-How is tone used?

It is a white and black tone.
The tone expresses a sense of loneliness because there are no bright or vivid colors.

-What can you say about shape and/or form in this picture?  What is the effect?

Thick lines convey a sense of body weight;
Shape is ambiguous because there are no obvious contour lines. Shape depicted by different ways of lines.

The lines are unconnected and in disorder, viewers need imagination to imagine the structure of the body.

-Is rhythm important in this picture?

No. Lines are disorder.

-Is the picture balanced?

No. The distribution of the lines is not balanced. However, the empty background is balanced. The empty background let viewers more focus on the nude.

-Is perspective used in the picture?

Yes. Light and dark contrast makes shading and let the nude become 3D effect.

-Is the picture harmonious?

 

No. There are strong contrast in uses of lines and tone in the picture.

Are there any strong contrasts in the picture?

Yes, there are strong contrasts in tone and line. For the tone, white contrast black; for the line, thin lines contrast thick lines and dense lines contrast sparse lines. Also, different directions of lines cause a strong contrast.

 INTERPRETATION AND EVALUATION

-What is the mood of the drawing?

The drawing shows a sense of loneliness because white and black colors are constructing a boring mood, and empty background shows the nude is alone. Moreover, it shows a sense of imaginative because the empty background let viewers think about the relation between the nude and the background. And viewers can think about what can be added if they are the artist.

-What does the drawing express?

The drawing shows a nude, as the drawing title” standing nude”, the artist uses lines to create an ambiguous contour of the body.

Also, the drawing needs viewers to be careful and imagine the structure of the body because the contour is ambiguous and unclear, viewers can have different ideas because everyone’s mind is not same.

Moreover, the drawing expresses a sense of loneliness. Colors and tone are expressing the lonely and boring feeling. Although I can’t see the face of the nude, I can feel her loneliness by the structure. The nude is only showing her back and she is alone because the background is blank, gloomy tone gives me a sense of disappointed or lonely.
Lastly, it expresses a sense of casual. Lines are irregular and rough, just like a casual drawing and without planning.

In your opinion,why is this work interesting/moving/clever/imaginative/thought-provoking/......?Choose the adjective(s)that best fit the work, and then justify your conclusion in terms of specific features and qualities of the drawing.

One of the specific features of the drawing is imaginative because the empty space let viewers to imagine what it should have and the relation between the nude and background. Also, there are not any obvious contour lines to depict the outline of the nude, so viewers need imagination to organize and combine all the lines together to see how the nude is. And we can’t see the face of the nude, we can’t know the feeling of the nude, we only can through the use of tone, shape and space to feel what the artist want to express.

Furthermore, it is expressive. The gloomy tone and black lines express the loneliness of the picture. And irregular and rough lines show a sense of casual and informal.