Reclining Nude (Nu entendu) 1923

This is 'Reclining Nude (Nu entendu)' by Andre Dunoyer de Segonzac, an etching. It's all about the lines, isn't it? A web of strokes trying to capture a body at rest. I wonder what Segonzac was thinking, wrestling with that plate. Was he trying to nail the perfect curve of the hip, the slouch of the shoulder? Or was it more about the feeling, the intimacy of the moment? There’s a dance between the seen and the unseen. He leaves things unfinished, lets the lines suggest rather than define. I get a sense of the artist's hand moving quickly, confidently, but also tentatively. There’s something vulnerable about leaving the marks so exposed, allowing the process to show. It reminds me of Picasso, but softer, more human maybe.