Here we see a naked woman, seated upon a low futon shrouded in a white sheet, awkwardly propped up against several pillows. The room is very sparse, with bare floorboards and paint splatters on the floor – there has been no attempt to mask the reality that this is a model being painted in an artist’s studio. The painting, titled Pears, refers to the unexpected element of the image: the pile of pears placed in the sitter’s lap. Over time, Watt found herself more interested in the impression left upon the drapery by the human figure than the sitters themselves. Despite this, her later paintings are still very much connected to the human form and rooted in these early nudes. It is the interplay with presence and absence, the idea of the impact of the figure on its surroundings, which begins to interest Watt.
[Sotheby’s, London - Oil on canvas, 152.5 x 180.5 cm]