Words and Images by David Finley
Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed. - William Blake
The drawing above was inspired by a book I recently acquired.
A few months ago, I was in a thrift store in town and happened upon a wonderful Picasso book of nude drawings. They were simple, lovely, and full of life. What's better, is that there were hundreds of them. The figures ranged from stretched and contorted, to simple and mundane. I can't overstate how pleased I am to have this book in my hands.
My favorite drawings within are those that involve everyday tasks like a young lady dangling a string over a playful cat, or a woman arranging her flowers.
As I was saying before, I found this book in a local thrift store. So, as I went to the checkout counter to purchase the book, the elderly lady ringing me up thumbed through the pages and gave me a disapproving look.
"It's Picasso." I said, trying to divert her opinion of me from 'pervert' to 'sophisticated art genius'. "Isn't it a gem?" I knew she would be impressed with me then. I awaited the accolades she would now shower upon me.
"Men love looking at pictures of naked women." she countered in a tone loud enough to be heard well throughout the unfortunately well populated shop. I felt my cheeks color. She grimaced again to make sure I noticed and then turned to her friends to exchange a grin or two before handing back my prize. "Here's your book."
I thanked her. There was nothing else to say. She was right.
