  Paul Cadmus Male Nude Paul Cadmus employs negative lines for his risque paintings and drawings of nude male figures. Brightening a subject with white lineal curves through the body and contrasting that with heavy contours and dark shadows, gives the figure an luminosity and glow that wouldn't be achieved if drawn with positive lines. | The principle of western lighting convention was not applied in this image. The natural light source from the central right hand side, that was cast on the live model, was exhibited on paper to show the curvacious form in its true light. The direction of light used in this image is the natural way Arabic cultures are accustomed to illuminating a subject, and on occasion can be hard for westerners to believe the image, due to their left to right reading cultures. This image however, I feel, is still convincing as a 3D form without the use of the convention. On charcoaled paper, an eraser was used in a circular motion to carve the human figure as a negative object, onto the page. With a coherent use of transitional tonal contrast from subject to ground and light to shade, I wanted to challenge the common notion of negative objects making for a more ambiguous space or form. The exotopic tones on the lit side of the figure have been enhanced with flying whites to communicate with the subject. These flecks of light heighten the dark shadows of the background and show a illuminating light source fanning in from the right hand side, that invites the viewer to ponder what the woman is facing. In this image, only the simplistic tones of the figure are exploited, and the point of intersection of shadow and light textured. The lineal contour on the shadow side of the figure has been heavily phrased to create weight. Having the two tone contrasting effect within the image, gives the composition an unintentional posterisation or blocking in effect with only the tonal contrast accentuated in the mid tones. This simplicity has achieved an element of visual democracy and gestalt in the composition, it is a soft, feminine stance where no part of the image overpowers anything else. |
