Nude Descending a Staircase

by Marcel Duchamp

       Who would have thought that a cubist painting could have such movement as Marcel Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase."  In my opinion, that is why he painted this particular subject - to prove that he could, in fact, add movement to a painting in the cubist style.  No other artist of that movement did that.  The warm monotonal color palette of the painting only adds to the composition, which is very large by the way, 6' by 3' and is currently hanging in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  The work was not accepted by the French critics, galleries or other exhibit venues of the time, 1912.  As a matter of fact, in 1913 when it was exhibiited as part of the New York Armory show, it cause a considerable brouhaha.  Apparently, American art entusiasts of the time were heavy into realism and this wonderful example of cubism was considered scandalous.  As with so many innovative works of art, "Nude Descending a Staircase" began to enjoy the admiration it deserved, but years after it was first introduced by the artist, Marcel Duchamp, who was no stranger to innovation.

Review posted by: Fluffy 

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