Neil Grayson, Erotic Drawings

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In these pieces, the artist's gaze is so intensely focused on the nude that the images are abstracted to the point of becoming mysteriously potent icons of the erotic or bold graphic symbols of porn. Abstract art in this sense is not non-representational, but free of context such that what it represents is not immediately available. The viewer is placed so close to the subject that initially she is difficult to recognize. The first glance sees only the medium on the paper, the dark lines and touches of color, which seem to suggest a cross. In this way, these extraordinary drawings connect Eros with western culture's most powerful symbol.

Each drawing is unique. Some are done on thick and irregular sheets of hand-made rag paper, some on Arches cotton paper, and others on canvas. In a few, the figure seems to be standing up straight; in others relaxed, hand on hip. Grayson conveys full body posture with just a few simple lines. The drawing is done in strong charcoal strokes that define the shape of the buttocks and the gap between the legs as the center of focus. Metal leaf overlays the drawing, delicately defining the smooth texture and luminosity of the skin. In several of these works, suggestions of viewfinders or sight scopes-done in raw umber, ochre, or black oil paint-float on a plane some distance from the image, nearer to the viewer. In all, the experience of these drawings is a viewer's, how one sees-intensely, obsessively-rather than what one sees.