A very dim light falls on the woman, who lies on her right side. The upper half of her torso is twisted to her left and her hips and legs face the viewer. Her right leg is bent slightly so her calf is beneath her straightened left leg. The woman is not as thin as classical nudes, her hips are somewhat broad and her thighs are slightly heavy. Her arms are crossed languidly over her head. Because her arms are crossed over her head, her face is almost completely in the shadows; this shadowing covers the detail of her face in such a way that she could be almost anyone. She gazes wistfully at the ground to her left.

The juxtaposition of the woman and the canopy which falls from the right hand corner divides the canvas into three triangular shaped pieces of more or less the same size. This division brings the focal point of these triangles to the woman's face. If you start at the focal point, the range of one's field of vision opens to follow the diverging lines thereby taking in the whole painting until one's eyes reach the frame. Then your gaze is brought back along the lines until it converges on the face of the woman. Because the area of the top left hand corner is so dark, it puts even more emphasis on the head of the woman

The background is beautifully executed. Behind the nude are the edge of the beach, the ocean, and the night sky. The beach is very dark as is the ocean. However, if you look closely at the ocean can see the gentle waves of the sea and two tiny sailboats on the horizon. The sky has the beauty of the actual sky as the last colors of the sunset fade over the horizon. The sky highest above the ocean is a very dark gray. In the lighter sky just below it one can see dark billowing clouds. The sky just above the horizon is pinkish and purplish from a distance. The whole background is very tranquil, very peaceful.

d very softly and is in a very sensuous posture. A scarlet cloth lies in front of her; it has a very rumpled look, which has sexual implications. The vacant, wistful look and the languid crossing of her arms suggests that she is thinking of a lover who has just left her. The careful shadowing of her facial features leads one to believe she has something to hide from public knowledge. It is not covered enough, however, for one to believe she has any shame for appearing in so public a place in such a position; this, too, would have been found scandalous in the 1860's. Now, however, compared to such displays of sexuality and nudity, the picture is perceived as a modest, proper display of sexuality.

While you may find fault with the lack of a wide range of color, you cannot find

Some topics in this essay:
Stern Collection, Monsieur Courbet, Gustave Courbet's, Reclining Nude, dim light, Gustave Courbet’s, dim light falls, scarlet cloth, hand corner, light falls, left hand, clouds sky, middle ground, left hand corner, sky horizon, horizon sky, billowing canopy,