Standing nude c. 1940s

Editor: Here, we have Anne Ryan's "Standing nude", a small print, seemingly of woodcut, with an abstract figure. It feels very raw and immediate. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This work speaks to me of the constraints placed upon women artists of Ryan’s generation. The gestural lines, almost frantic, suggest a struggle for visibility, a body trying to emerge from the oppressive shadows of the male gaze. Editor: I hadn't considered the shadow element so deeply. Curator: Consider the period; women were often confined to specific roles. The nude form, traditionally a subject for male artists, here becomes a statement of female agency, albeit one still mediated by the printmaking process. What does the work say about sexuality and how it has been presented historically? Editor: I see how thinking about context is crucial here. Curator: Exactly. We can use her technique and subject to deconstruct narratives around women's bodies in art. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about! Curator: Me too. Art is not made in a vacuum.