Standing Female Nude

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Imai Keiko et al. Pikaso: Itsutsu no tema/ Picasso: Five Themes. Exh. cat., Pola Museum of Art, Kanagawa. Kanagawa, 2006, p. 61, fig. 4. Impressionist and Modern Paintings, Drawings, and Sculptures, part 1. November 7, 1995, p. 34, fig. 2 (upside down).

New York. An American Place. "Exhibition of Four Americans: Dove, Marin, O'Keeffe, Stieglitz, and Picasso," October 17–November 27, 1941, no. 16. She is on display for everyone; from the artist who is as poor as she is and the patrons of the art world to the Queen of England. The Queen, within the speaker’s mind, “murmurs” terms of endearment at the speaker’s shape. She sees this as ridiculous, the fact that her position within an artist’s studio can re-value her to such a degree. Sarah Greenough. Alfred Stieglitz: The Key Set. The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Photographs. Vol. 1, 1886–1922. New York, 2002, pp. xxv–xxvi, fig. 18. Museum of Modern Art, New York. "Picasso: 75th Anniversary Exhibition," May 4–September 8, 1957, unnumbered cat. (p. 39). The structure and form of Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Standing Female Nude” play a crucial role in conveying the themes of beauty and vulnerability. The poem is written in free verse, with no set rhyme scheme or meter. This allows for a sense of fluidity and movement, mirroring the movements of the model as she poses for the artist.Joseph Low (Pepe) Karmel. "Picasso's Laboratory: The Role of his Drawings in the Development of Cubism, 1910–14." PhD diss., Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 1993, pp. 54–55, 62, fig. 38, ill., as "Standing Nude". New York. Armory of the Sixty-ninth Regiment. "International Exhibition of Modern Art (The Armory Show)," February 17–March 15, 1913, no. 351.

Standing Female Nude” was the title poem of Duffy’s first collection, and can be taken as a symbolic reference to her status as a poet at the time, in that she was laying her soul bare by standing up for feminism in a male-dominated world.

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Stacey B. Epstein. Inheriting Cubism: The Impact of Cubism on American Art, 1909-1936. Exh. cat., Hollis Taggart Galleries. New York City, 2001, p. 25, ill.

Franco Russoli and Fiorella Minervino. L'opera completa di Picasso cubista. Milan, 1972, pp. 103–4, no. 331, ill. Carol Ann Duffy is also an acclaimed playwright, and has had plays performed at the Liverpool Playhouse and the Almeida Theatre in London. Her plays include Take My Husband (1982), Cavern of Dreams (1984), Little Women, Big Boys (1986) and Loss (1986), a radio play. She received an Eric Gregory Award in 1984 and a Cholmondeley Award in 1992 from the Society of Authors, the Dylan Thomas Award from the Poetry Society in 1989 and a Lannan Literary Award from the Lannan Foundation (USA) in 1995. She was awarded an OBE in 1995, a CBE in 2001 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999. The setting of Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Standing Female Nude” is a small, cramped studio where the speaker, an artist, is painting a nude model. The studio is described as being “cold” and “dimly lit,” creating a sense of discomfort and unease. The model is also described as being “shivering slightly,” adding to the overall feeling of vulnerability in the setting. The use of such a confined and uncomfortable setting emphasizes the objectification and exploitation of the female body in art, as well as the power dynamic between the artist and model. The Speaker’s Perspective New York. An American Place. "Beginnings and Landmarks: "291," 1905–1917," October 27–December 27, 1937, no. 38. Art Institute of Chicago. "International Exhibition of Modern Art (The Armory Show)," March 24–April 16, 1913, no. 287.Gary Tinterow in Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed. Gary Tinterow and Susan Alyson Stein. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 2010, p. 4. New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 27–August 1, 2010, no. 52. Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Standing Female Nude” was written in the 1980s, a time when the feminist movement was gaining momentum and women were fighting for their rights and equality. The poem reflects the struggles of women in the art world, particularly in the field of nude modeling. During this time, women were often objectified and reduced to mere objects of male desire in art, and their voices and experiences were often ignored. And do try to be still,” (line 3) giving the impression of impatience, as if the artist were expecting the same indefatigable stillness from this women as from a vase. Even though the woman has been standing for “six hours” (line 1), the artist acts inhumanly and does not expect the model to have needs or thoughts; he treats her as if she is an inanimate object. “You’re getting thin, Madame, this is not good,” (line 9) again demonstrating that the artist expects her to be unchanging; he is indifferent of her struggle to feed herself. Standing Female Nude’ by Carol Ann Duffy speaks on the role of the artist model in the studio of a cold, and unfeeling painter who sees her only as a means to an end.

Peter Read. Picasso et Apollinaire: Les Métamorphoses de la mémoire, 1905–1973. Paris, 1995, p. 115, ill. Art Institute of Chicago. "Picasso: 75th Anniversary Exhibition," October 29–December 8, 1957, unnumbered cat. Could this be why the model doesn’t take the painter seriously? Maybe. Although, perhaps it’s more general. "These artists / take themselves too seriously," says the model. She also scoffs at the idea of being hung "in great museums." She derisively refers to potential viewers as "the bourgeoisie."New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Picasso: Forty Years of His Art," November 15, 1939–January 7, 1940, no. 92.