Description:Displaying Archipenko's robust understanding of volume and form, this work can be understood as abstracted study of the female figure. The image can be compared to many of the artist's studies of the female nude; however, this piece is unique in its graceful yet bold use of line.
This pen and ink drawing, which is executed on a fine drawing paper, is signed by the artist in the lower right hand corner.
Awkwardly positioned, the figure crouches leaning on the left knee and outstretched arm. The right knee is raised as is the right arm, which is pinched behind the figures back, lending a sense of activity and motion to the work. Completely obscuring the figure's identity, the artist forces the viewer to study the exacting use of line and rounded definition of form. The work of Archipenko can be compared to the work of Braque, Chagall, Cocteau, Leger, Masson, Moore, Papart, Picasso, and Villon.
About the Framing:
This work is displayed in a detailed black and gold frame. The black of the molding accentuates the artist's use of line while the gold offers an elegant presentation. The framing is completed with white linen mattes and a simple sculpted inner fillet.
