Reclining Female Nude c. 1910

William James Glackens created this drawing, Reclining Female Nude, with conté crayon and pastel on paper. The image is dominated by the warm hues of the red conté crayon, which gives the nude figure a vibrant yet intimate presence, contrasted by the cool blue pastels that form the bed beneath her. Glackens' approach to form here is fascinating; he uses a network of delicate lines to define the model’s body, capturing her relaxed pose with an emphasis on the play of light and shadow. The composition, with the figure stretched across the frame, creates a dynamic tension. It’s as if he's deconstructing traditional academic nudes by focusing on the immediacy of the moment, rather than idealised beauty. The visible marks and strokes are integral, revealing the artist's process. They speak to the broader modernist interest in breaking down illusionism and exposing the materiality of the artwork itself. This piece destabilizes conventional ideas about beauty and representation, inviting us to reconsider the relationship between the body, the artist, and the viewer.