Nude of a crouching boy 1935

Richard Martin Werner made this drawing, Nude of a crouching boy, in 1935 with graphite on paper. The artist looks to have been feeling his way around the body, gently probing its form. It’s like he’s using the pencil to figure out the difference between what he knows about bodies and what he sees, right there in front of him. There’s a real tenderness to the way he captures the light falling on the boy’s shoulder, or the delicate curve of his back. You can almost feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. I wonder what the model was thinking about as he posed. Was he bored, or self-conscious, or lost in his own thoughts? Werner’s drawing feels like an invitation to step into that moment.