Venera

Cropped above the knees, a nude woman stands with both arms lifted behind her head, turning her face toward the viewer over one raised elbow. Her auburn hair falls loose over one shoulder. A pale turquoise cloth, patterned like mosaic tesserae, slips low to gather at her hips, the only drapery on an otherwise bare figure set against a mottled blue-green backdrop.

Warm flesh tones in ochre, pink and soft brown sit against cool blues and teals in the background, giving a strong temperature contrast typical of an academic figure study. Brushwork is broad and confident on the body, with firmer, choppier strokes in the drapery and backdrop. The raised-arm pose reads as statuesque, direct and quietly intimate.