Seated Nude 

John Conrad Berkey painted this ‘Seated Nude’ at an unknown date. It’s a piece that asks us to consider how we look, who is doing the looking and what power dynamics are at play. Born in 1932, Berkey navigated a mid-century world where the male gaze dominated art. Here he presents us with a nude that complicates traditional representations. She’s not a youthful, sexualized odalisque, but a mature woman whose gaze is directed away from us. It acknowledges a woman's right to self-possession, offering a narrative where female identity isn't solely defined by sexual attraction. The model's averted gaze and the artist's choice to depict her from the back evoke a sense of introspection and self-awareness. How does this shift in perspective alter our viewing experience, and what does it tell us about changing attitudes toward women’s visibility and agency? It’s a quiet, reflective piece, inviting a dialogue about the politics of looking and the representation of women in art.