Crouching Nude 1919 - 1920

Max Weber made this print, Crouching Nude, using watercolor monotype, probably in the 1910s or 20s. We see the impression of a figure, the lines blurred and muted through Weber’s printmaking technique. Weber was a Jewish-American artist who embraced modernism after studying with Henri Matisse in Paris. On his return to New York City, he promoted avant-garde ideas about art. This work shows the influence of both European modernism and Japanese art, filtered through Weber’s own cultural background. The image evokes a sense of intimacy, yet its style also reflects the early 20th century avant-garde interest in primitivism. How might his identity and his position in the New York art world have influenced his art? What was the public role of the modern nude? Was it a conservative or progressive form? To understand this work, we can explore the cultural debates of the time, looking at publications, exhibition reviews, and the artist's own writings to better understand how he saw his place in the American art scene.