Great American Nude No. 75

The Museum of Modern Art, New York (the USA).

Painted moulded plastic and lighting fixtures.

This work from the famous Great American Nude series demonstrates all the main features of Tom Wesselmann’s painting. The viewer can see an attractive lying girl, whose bright lips are the only visible part of her face, seductive nipples on her bare chest and shiny yellow hair. Like in his other works, the patriotic colours of the American flag serve as the backdrop for this figure. As the sizes of the artist’s works were increasing, over time, it became more difficult for him to create large sections of uniform solid colour; he began to experiment with various materials. In this, as well as several other works, he used plastic to create a smooth texture and uniform tone without gaps and drips. The composition is also equipped with a backlight, which gives it similarity with an advertising sign or a shop window.