“Wesselmann is attracted not so much by the female nude as by the pictorial or advertising reproduction of that nude. So the subject of these works is not the model as an emblem of female beauty but the abstract image of that subject…even when a subtle sensuality caresses the female forms, playing on the lines and lingering on the shapes, even when a veiled eroticism shows through, recalling the elegance of Modigliani, Wesselman softens the tension by accentuating the female outline and draining away the vibrancy of color.” (Charta, Tom Wesselmann, Milan 2003, p. 13)

This nude by Tom Wesselmann carries all the hallmarks of the artist's

oeuvre, despite its small scale. Though Wesselmann frequently flattened his female models, this cut out retains a pleasing tactility, the underlying pencil marks and strokes of Liquitex paint evident.

During this period, Wesselmann spent much of his time away from New York City in Cape Cod or upstate where he made several smaller scale paintings. These works were then enlarged once he returned back to his city studio. In the same year, Wesselmann would create 'seascapes' of protruding, isolated breasts, feet, or cropped views of topless women in front of idyllic blue skies, no doubt inspired by his vacation views.

His subject matter didn't necessarily transform during this period, but his technique and treatment did. Wesselmann began to experiment with shaped canvases and cut-outs, allowing the white walls to be seen through the canvas. This small nude cut out is likely an extension of this period of experimentation with shape and negative space.

His flattened, highly anonymous, and sexualized female figures are the among the most recognizable of Wesselmann's works, from a period where the artist came into his own aesthetic after long exploration. Following a stint in the US Army, Wesselmann returned to the US and intended to become a cartoonist, making enough money from his works printed in magazines to move to New York and pursue this goal. During this time, Wesselmann moved away from the Abstract Expressionism of his artistic peers.