Lovers

So, you're looking at a painting titled 'Lovers', and you see a solitary nude woman. An interesting choice, isn't it? This 1981 drybrush watercolor features Helga Testorf, the subject of a secret series of over 240 works created over 15 years. The artist kept these sessions a secret from both his wife and Helga's husband. Compositionally, it's a game of light and shadow. A brilliant beam of sunlight streams in from a window, illuminating the curve of her abdomen and thigh, while leaving her upper body and lower legs in darkness. This dramatic lighting has been described as counterintuitive, drawing the eye to the "voluptuous swell of her hips". She's perched on a stool, her body erect, looking away from the viewer. Is she gazing at a figure in the darkness, or perhaps her own shadow? The title, of course, is where the real fun begins. Who are the lovers? Is it the model and some unseen companion? The artist and his subject? The ambiguity is the point. When the existence of the "Helga Pictures" was sensationally revealed, it caused quite a stir, with rampant speculation about an affair (which was always denied). Wyeth's wife, when asked what the series was about, paused and simply replied, "Love". In a final, delicious twist, it was reportedly the artist's wife who gave this particular painting its teasing title after her husband gifted it to her. Make of that what you will.