Nudes

In the 1920s, Clara Mairs and her long-time lover Clement Haupers moved to the artistic city of Paris to study under famous artists such as Antoine Bourdelle and Andre Lhote. For two years she honed her craft in France before moving back to St. Paul, Minnesota, where her French inspired nudes made her famous.

The nudes that she created are not detailed, realistic depictions of the human form, but the focus instead lies in the action of the character and the interaction between humanity and nature, or humanity and society. Images of women dressing, swimming, or simply reclining in the nude eschew the constraints of society and make humanity seem to be simply a part of nature, rather than apart from nature.

Nudes