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Lot Essay
"At art school in the 1970s, it was clear that no-one was inspired by
the nude drawing classes any more. The women (of colour) who posed at
the university had been there for many many years. Being a model had
become their occupation. They had posed themselves into (still
life-like) generalized objects, devoid of erotic (or any kind of)
energy. The rare occasions that the male nude (white) was acquired, it led to giggles or indifference but not to concentration. Now it seems
that it was not the nude I was looking for, nor the posing figure, but the erotic conditions of life that I was after. Two 'subjects'
confronting each other." (Marlene Dumas in Marlene Dumas, Phaidon Press, London 1999, p. 122).
the nude drawing classes any more. The women (of colour) who posed at
the university had been there for many many years. Being a model had
become their occupation. They had posed themselves into (still
life-like) generalized objects, devoid of erotic (or any kind of)
energy. The rare occasions that the male nude (white) was acquired, it led to giggles or indifference but not to concentration. Now it seems
that it was not the nude I was looking for, nor the posing figure, but the erotic conditions of life that I was after. Two 'subjects'
confronting each other." (Marlene Dumas in Marlene Dumas, Phaidon Press, London 1999, p. 122).