Nude Female Bust Between the Waves 

Curator: Oh, this is rather lovely. It reminds me of the pure joy of a sun-soaked summer afternoon. The colours and composition evoke such a light-hearted, buoyant sensation. Editor: This oil painting is titled "Nude Female Bust Between the Waves". The artwork is from Catalan artist Joan Brull. Its current location is the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, in Barcelona. Curator: I see exactly what he's doing with the Pre-Raphaelite influence... but filtered through his own distinctly Mediterranean lens, right? The woman emerges, as if newly created from the foam, not Botticelli-esque, mind you... this isn’t about the high Renaissance but, it feels like an ode to pleasure. Editor: In some ways, Joan Brull echoes other late 19th, early 20th-century representations of women and the sea. Take, for example, representations of Ophelia or mermaids, the archetypes often speak to the way women were constructed as 'one' with nature but 'other' than men in civil society. There is definitely something sensual here, with the rosy lips and playful smile. Curator: I agree that one shouldn't overlook how it can easily fall into a comfortable objectification...but somehow, I get the sense she is self-aware, pleased... it makes all the difference. Do you think it's her gaze or that subtle smile? I love the almost unfinished, sketch-like brushstrokes, too... like catching a fleeting dream. Editor: Yes, Brull's treatment of the nude is not revolutionary. Considering how artists throughout time depicted similar subjects...The 'female nude' in art needs to be constantly questioned in regard to how the woman is choosing, or not choosing, to be seen. This is precisely why I can't let go of that smile: in all fairness, this “wave-born maiden” appears amused, as if she understood the performance! Curator: The real skill of it is, isn't it? Brull creates a window for us to look in. Almost as if inviting us to engage and co-create our own readings! Editor: Indeed! Brull provides, through his sensual yet somewhat chaste nude, a point of reflection and analysis regarding our perception of women, nature, and art itself.