The Secret History of U.S. Women Painters

“Helena Dunlap’s Nude Male shows a man stripped to the waist, his gaze distant and melancholy. His taut, ripped chest shines from distinct layers of pale, flaxen paint, and dark shadows emphasize the hollows at his neck and torso.

Below the scene sits a signature, “H. Dunlap.”

“A full nude would have been scandalous, but a semiclothed nude – it wouldn’t have been a problem,” said Joseph Morsman.

“We want more male nudes, actually, to tell you the truth,” interjected Maurine St. Gaudens.”