Nudes

It seems to me that, as a painter, there are two ways to learn from nature: to go outside and meet her there to paint some aspect of the outdoor landscape, or to stay inside and have her sit as still as possible for a little while so the miracles of form and light can be studied quietly. When nature offers herself up for this kind of study in the form of the human body, She also offers a course in understanding the spirit, the molecular activity, and the essence of someone. This is, of course, to be had with a tree in the garden or an apple on the table as well, but the nude offers a chance to see someone a little differently, without the covering of clothing, to see the person naturally. And so the artist must look at the physicality of that particular human landscape and really see it in new terms, defined on the page or canvas by light and by darkness.

For myself, however superficial it might sound, painting the body has made me understand the beauty of the physical human. The spirit always captivated me, but now I am learning something of how holistic and profound that physical-spiritual expression is. I’ve learned to appreciate and love my own gravity impaired, aging, life-scarred body in an unexpected and sublime way. I look at all of us now with more awe, more of a comprehension that beauty is not a static condition but instead a truly cooperative interaction between those willing to reveal themselves and those willing to see the truth of that beauty

~Viola Moriarty

(For an online catalog of complete works for this series, please click on the link to the left.)