Painting by Sterling Boyd Strauser: Nude

A few thick strokes of cream, and she is entirely there.

This nude is an oil on board by Sterling Boyd Strauser (1907-1995), signed and dated 1983. The nude has long been a test for painters, a way of showing how little paint it takes to suggest a living body. A pale figure stands turned slightly, head tilted, with red-brown hair and thin drawn lines for her features and one arm. A streak of pink rises behind her on a brown ground. The signature sits at upper right. A gold inner frame and a wide, dark wood surround hold it. Sixteen and a half inches wide and 24.5 high.

Quiet work, by someone who knew when to stop.