Nude, Crimea 1916

Robert Falk painted this nude, probably in oil, with bold strokes of browns, yellows, and reds. I can imagine him in his studio, stepping back, squinting, then lunging forward to make a mark, a real back and forth of looking and doing. There's a struggle here, a searching for form in the shadows and light. You see how the planes of color build the figure, almost like a cubist sculpture. And that red cloth, it’s not just a cushion, it’s alive with energy, those thick strokes creating depth. I wonder if Falk was thinking of Cézanne, or maybe even some of the Russian avant-garde artists? You can feel the weight of art history, but he’s pushing it, trying to find his own voice. It's like he's saying, "I'm here, I'm painting, and I'm figuring it out as I go."