Nude and Books (Nu et livres)

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

This early nude by Jules Pascin lacks the signature undulating lines and irregular splashes of color seen in the artist's later works. The identity of the subject is unknown, but her androgynous figure and the suggestion of her burgeoning sexuality produce an unsettling effect. Other painters in Paris around this time were creating nudes of adolescent subjects, many of whom were known to be prostitutes, so it is possible that the figure represented here entered into sex work at a young age.

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