Charlotte van Pallandt (1898-1997)
Reclining Nude
Signed lower left 'Pallandt', and dated '1925'
Pencil on paper
9 x 12 cm
Framed

Provenance:
Private collection, The Hague

Condition:
In very good condition

Extra information:
Sculptor Charlotte van Pallandt (1898-1997) began her artistic career in Paris, where she studied in the 1920s under the cubist master André Lhote. This small but powerful work, Reclining Nude (1925), shows the influence of her early years of study in the French capital. The drawing, executed in pencil, captures a reclining female nude in geometric planes, with the body's contours simplified into a cubist visual scheme.

Although Van Pallandt later became primarily known for her sculptures, this early work offers a fascinating glimpse into her search for form and space. The cubist approach, which reduces anatomical forms to angular, stylized lines, lays the foundation for her later explorations in sculpture. Two years after creating this drawing, Van Pallandt began experimenting with sculpture, where cubism would still subtly influence her work.

The restrained monumentality of Reclining Nude demonstrates the early impact of the Parisian avant-garde on Van Pallandt's work, a crucial phase that set her firmly on the artistic path and would lead her to an international career as a sculptor.