His composition is fearless; look at how boldly he plants that figure in the center of the page, perfectly balanced as if by a Zen master. No need to hedge his bets with wispy lines implying a background. His primeval "L" shape is a design so basic and timeless it might as well have been etched into a cave wall.
Yet, the strength of his design doesn't undermine the subtlety of his drawing.
Williams' shading starts our eyes at the model's face, but the shading is soon softened by gouache as we travel down her body. The shading disappears altogether where her sparsely drawn toes form a peninsula with his signature.
Williams' sensitive line displays the kind of clarity that only comes with genuine knowledge of the human form.
Artists have been drawing the human form since the world was new. There is certainly nothing shockingly original about this basic pose. Isn't it marvelous, then, that variations such as this one continue to delight, inspire and educate us?
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