Male Nude I (1972) is an early R.C. Gorman stone lithograph depicting a crouching male nude from the rear. The figure’s bent posture, extended arm, and grounded hand create a compact, muscular composition, while the turned head and compressed pose introduce a sense of introspection and physical tension.
Rendered in a restrained black-and-white palette, the body is modeled through loose, graphite-like shading and bold contour work. A deep black background sharply silhouettes the upper figure, while the white foreground and strong cast shadow anchor the pose and intensify the composition’s dramatic contrast. Produced in a small edition of only 30, Male Nude I is a scarce example of Gorman’s early male figure studies and a distinctive work for collectors of monochrome lithographs, figurative art, and limited-edition works on paper.
