The Human Form
In this month’s Focus Series, The Office of University Art Collections presents two works. An oil painting by Sarah Slappey, Ali II, and a drawing by Paul Cadmus, Male Nude NM 59.
Each artist presents a distinctive approach to depicting the human form, with each artwork holding unique significance for the artists themselves and for our community.
In her painting Ali II, Slappey explores the female body, and what it represents. In a recent interview with Slappey, she disclosed that she was a sophomore at Wake Forest taking Painting II when she made this painting. As an artist, she always knew that her preferred medium was painting. She entered Wake Forest on a presidential scholarship in the arts. Slappey described this painting as her first real assignment in the class where she had complete freedom in the subject and color palette. Ali was Slappey’s roommate at Wake Forest, and someone she frequently painted for assignments in classes. There is an Ali I painting that resides at her parent’s home in South Carolina. Slappey no longer does portraits, but has continued to hone in on the female body and different aspects of its form. “The woman’s condition in the world is endlessly fascinating,” Slappey says. Her work reflects her desire to facilitate a deeper understanding of our bodies, and appreciate their complexities.
Paul Cadmus’ drawing on paper, Male Nude NM 59 was bought on the 1969 Student-led Art Buying Trip to New York City. J. D Wilson, an alumnus of Wake Forest and patron of the arts in North Carolina, spoke about his experience as part of the trip. “College campuses in the 60s became hot spots for activism and new ideas”, Wilson said in a recent interview. He talked about a dramatic shifting in the time they were living in, much like the ones we are living in today. Mr. Wilson noted that there became a very mainstream sexualization of women, and fixation on the female form. Women’s bodies were projected everywhere in mass media for public consumption. When the cohort members of the 1969 art buying trip came across this Paul Cadmus piece, they thought “oh that’s different” recalls Wilson. They were so used to seeing the female form everywhere, and almost nothing of the male form. Not only this, but it was depicted in a way that was not inherently sexual, despite the title: Male Nude. The cohort members were also used to seeing more formal oil paintings, and Cadmus’s piece is much more loose, as it is made with crayon. This new take on the male form coincided with the modern nature of the Reece collection, making it a perfect addition.
Both of these artworks are a study on the human form. They are important works in facilitating dialogue around what it means to capture a human, and depict their beauty.
Caroline Helmer ‘27 Art History Major
Mark H. Reece Collection of Student-Acquired Contemporary Art, CU1969.7.1