Seated Nude Facing Front

Lyman liked to use the same subjects repeatedly, so it is not always easy to date his works. His sketches in pencil or oil could precede his definitive paintings by several years. This oil sketch executed about 1935 can be linked to the painting Nude with Crimson Rug from the same time and prefigures Women on the Beach, executed in 1948. Lyman took a particular interest in the theme of bathers in the 1930s and 1940s. Imbued with both reserve and sensuality, Lyman’s drawings demonstrate the hedonism of French painting in the period between the World Wars.