Real Nudes

Melanctha and Gertrude Stein

The alternative title for Pearlstein's painting is Melanctha, a novella published by Gertrude Stein in 1909. In the novella which the painting is referencing, the story of sexual liberation among Victorian morals through experimental storytelling of hetero-and-homo-sexual relationships emerges (“Melanctha Summary"). Often writing in a stream-of-conscious style, Stein represents the new art movement of Modernism. Modernism, which Stein was a pioneer for, was a response to the socio-cultural impacts of the industrial revolution through the rejection of realism. Ironic as it is that Pearlstein would reference an art movement against his own style, this reference was dated before Pearlstein began to focus on his realism style. Pearlstein recognizes the similarities between them. Where modern art fails to depict the actual, realism is successful. Stein, through her stream-of-consciousness style of writing, is able to depict the events, the real, and the imagined clearly and concisely within her framework, similarly to Pearlstein. A rendition of Two Nudes on a Beach exists and is titled Melanctha by Gertrude Stein. It is estimated to have been painted in 1948-1949. Both edits contain a masculine figure looking at a feminine one. The feminine figure does not look back and thus the painting reads as resistive to constricting one's sexuality, as in heteronormative standards, as they are simply two people, nude, on a beach, sharing equal space. In the earlier rendition, the feminine figure is much whiter and clothed, possibly representing Stein herself.

“Melanctha Summary.” SuperSummary,  https://www.supersummary.com/melanctha/summary/#:~:text=Melanctha%20is%20one%20of%20three%20novellas%20in%20Gertrude,story%20of%20assertion%2C%20emotional%20responsiveness%2C%20and%20sexual%20liberation\. Accessed 18 Mar 2023. 

Pearlstein, Philip. Two Nudes on a Beach (Melanctha by Gertrude Stein). 1948-1949. https://philippearlstein.com/work/early-work/1949-two-nudes-on-a-beach-…. Accessed 29 Mar 2023. 

Pearlstein's Influences

Pearlstein attended Carnegie Mellon University, Carnegie Tech, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania alongside artists Dorothy Cantor and Andy Warhol in 1948, when the attached picture was taken. Warhol and Pearlstein lived together in NYC during the late 1940s. Cantor inevitably became Pearlstein’s wife with Warhol as a groomsman. This friendship between the three was cultivated in their different artistic expressions. Warhol’s artistic style was eccentric and pioneered Pop Art, whereas Cantor’s style is described as new realism, intentional, and geometric. Cantor’s style has some remnants of expressionism despite most of her subjects being landscapes. Warhol’s style defined popular culture at the time by using people and objects of symbolism during the 1980s. Despite possibly living in the shadows of Warhol, Pearlstein cemented himself as an icon for realism. Warhol is most famously known for his saturated and comedic Campbell soup cans. Cantor’s series of untitled landscapes provide intimate detail into her and Pearlstein’s life  As seen through earlier works at Carnegie Tech, Pearlstein, Warhol, and Cantor all drew inspiration from one another specifically with layouts for landscaping, applying texture, and the flow of fabric. Needless to say, they all grew stronger artists through the presence and guidance of one another, both during and after college.

Kessler, Leonard. Photograph of Andy Warhol, Dorothy Cantor, and Philip Pearlstein. The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 1948. Accessed 2 April 2023.

Klein, Barbara. “Carnegie Magazine: Summer 2015: Before They Were Famous - by Barbara Klein.” Carnegie Magazine | Summer 2015 | Before They Were Famous - By Barbara Klein, 2017, https://carnegiemuseums.org/magazine-archive/2015/summer/feature-504.ht…. Accessed 2 April, 2023. 

The Beginnings of Pearlstein's Realism

Philip Pearlstein wrote an article called, "Why I Paint the Way I Do" to the New York Times in 1971 which he compares himself to being a realist in a world of surrealists and expressionists. In Two Nudes on a Beach, some elements of surrealism remain as it was painted in 1949, but overall, this painting represents the turning point of Pearlstein's artistic style. The faces are surrealist interpretations and so are the bodies. The beginning of Pearlstein's focus on the nude body, as it presents itself, is seen here. The popular cultural aspects during the height of surrealism are better understood in this article. Pearlstein, a pioneer of Realism, details the struggles of finding his artistic style.  

To combat the violence of abstract expressionism, whether it be on canvas or by the hand of the artist, Pearlstein discovers objectivity and a new sense of realism within his artwork. Pearlstein writes, “ Suddenly I aspired to be nonexpressive, to remove my own gesture, handwriting, fancy brushwork from the process of painting” (Pearlstein). In Two Nudes on a Beach, the violence of the brushstroke is found within the landscape and the angles of the models on the beach. In more of his later works, the violence previously mentioned is replaced with softness and attention to skin details that expressionism and surrealism often overlook. By painting objectively, Pearlstein was fully able to appreciate and understand his models, talent, and other artistic capabilities. 

Pearlstein, Philip. “Two Nudes on a Beach (Melanctha).” Philip Pearlstein, 17 July 2019, 1949. https://philippearlstein.com/work/early-work/1949-two-nudes-on-a-beach-melanctha-college-after-war/Links to an external site. Accessed 18 Mar 2023. 

Pearlstein, Philip. “Why I Paint the Way I Do; Why I Paint the Way I Do.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Aug. 1971, https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/08/22/90687723.html?pageNumber=149Links to an external site. Accessed 18 Mar 2023.

INTERPRETATION:

Considering the background info involving the three events defined,  Philip Pearlstein’s influence on the surrounding art community of the 20^th century remains impactful. In Two Nudes on a Beach and the rendition, the expression elements are seen as a shadow of Pearlstein’s artistic beginnings, next to his future wife and closest friend. The expressionistic brushstrokes are exaggerated displaying the artistic trends of the 1940s. We can fully appreciate Pearlstein’s realist artworks by understanding his past as an expressionist. Compared to his realism pieces, Two Nudes on a Beach seems uncomfortable with a certain air of conformity, perhaps boring. The original is dark, dreary almost, with the absence of light despite being known for his ability to convey light. The faces of the figures are dramatic with sharp brushstrokes and dark contours, Pearlstein’s relatability is lost here but gained in his future artworks.  Pearlstein was able to be influenced by and remain friends with Warhol, a notable expressionist at times while cementing his unique art style. Pearlstein’s ability to transcend past critics, trends, and other influences at the time to develop his style. At the time of his passing in 2022, Pearlstein’s art was graphic but not explicit. His ability to depict light, nudity but not nude, and the natural lines/curves of the body continues to inspire the art community. Although Pearlstein’s relatability could be mistaken as a weakness, it is one of his greatest strengths. Through his nude portraits, the viewer, like us, can see ourselves and our bodies within the paintings.