Standing Nude 19th-20th century

Curator: Here we have Wilhelm Lehmbruck's "Standing Nude," a drawing of modest dimensions, done sometime before his death in 1919. It's currently part of the collection here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's haunting. The soft, smudged charcoal gives the figure this ethereal, almost ghost-like quality. She seems to emerge from the paper itself. Curator: Lehmbruck was deeply affected by the tragedies of World War I. This work captures something about the post-war mood. Editor: You see that in the elongated form, the upward gaze... almost an invocation. Nudity often symbolizes vulnerability, a stripping bare of defenses. Curator: But there is a spiritual yearning, too. It's as if she’s seeking solace or transcendence in the face of unimaginable loss. Editor: Ultimately, the drawing evokes this sense of fragility, a beautiful yet poignant reminder of the human condition.