Male Nude Bending Forward c. 1918

Editor: Here we have Denman Waldo Ross's "Male Nude Bending Forward," a pencil drawing on paper at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels so…vulnerable. The figure is caught in this moment of intense concentration. What do you see in it? Curator: I see a dance, a conversation between the ephemeral quality of the pencil strokes and the solid geometry of the composition underneath. It's as if Ross is asking, "How much control do we really have, and how much are we guided by unseen forces?" Editor: So, the geometry is like…destiny? Curator: Perhaps! Or maybe it's just Ross, reminding us that even in our most private moments, we are always, in some way, being observed. Doesn't that make you want to wiggle your toes and break free of the lines? Editor: Absolutely! It's kind of freeing to think about, actually. Thanks for that perspective! Curator: My pleasure. Art is like a mirror, reflecting what we want to see, and what we did not expect.