Untitled c. 1970s

Curator: Here we have an untitled pencil drawing by Larry Day, likely dating from the 1970s. Editor: It's incredibly delicate. The sparseness of the lines gives it a fragile, almost ethereal quality. You feel the weight of the body despite how lightly it's rendered. Curator: Day’s engagement with figuration, particularly the nude, needs to be situated within the academic traditions of the time, balanced against evolving cultural perceptions of the body. We often exhibited his work in contexts where the very act of drawing from life was a statement. Editor: Absolutely. The way the sheet drapes suggests that it wasn't just *any* sheet, but probably one the artist handled, procured and placed, giving us an intimate sense of studio practice as labor. The type of pencil, the paper choice...it speaks to the economics and material conditions available to the artist. Curator: I think Day also is wrestling with the historic weight of the nude, considering that the human body becomes objectified and viewed as an idea throughout centuries in artistic and cultural traditions, so the availability of the female model for such drawing study as this can also be considered within historical context. What’s accepted, what’s tolerated and what’s ignored by its contemporary audience or institution? Editor: And how that feeds into ideas about labor and leisure! The model’s pose... the visible comfort or lack thereof also becomes data for reading a picture. Was it quick money or a consistent gig? This all speaks to power and availability. Curator: Exactly! Day's choice of subject is embedded in a specific power dynamic and institutional practice that continues to be discussed. Editor: Examining Day's material decisions and artistic processes offers valuable insight. Curator: Indeed, and it helps us better understand the cultural and social underpinnings that shaped his vision and work, even today.