We have previously published remarks about Roberts painting of the landscape as well as portrait and still life. It is noteworthy that his landscapes were painted plein air, on the spot in one sitting and are often of a large scale. Winter cold did not suit either his temperament or his method. Hence the important oeuvre of still life composed indoors. Indoors Goodridge Roberts returned frequently to the female nude. There he approaches the subject with the same concern for colour, structure and expressive brushwork that characterizes his landscapes and still lifes. He did not idealize his models, generally presenting them with an unaffected naturalness. The result, as with this composition, is a painting that feels intimate without becoming overly posed or sentimental.

In this particularly appealing painting, the seated figure dominates the composition. Her form is constructed through broad, vigorous passages of ochre, cream, yellow and brown, while the dark mass of her hair provides a dramatic contrast to the warmth of her skin. Behind her, the muted golden background creates an enveloping atmosphere and further emphasizes the figure.

Sweeping across the lower portion of the canvas in deep emerald and blue-green tones, the drapery provides both a strong compositional foundation and a striking complement to the warmer palette of the figure. Colour is fundamental to the structure and vitality of the painting.

The reclining cat introduces an engaging note of domestic familiarity. Its quiet presence beside the model transforms what might otherwise have been a conventional studio nude into a more personal and informal scene, suggesting an unguarded moment within the artist’s surroundings.

Throughout, Roberts leaves the physical act of painting clearly visible. Broad strokes, emphatic contours and richly worked passages of pigment give the surface considerable energy. The result is a work in which the traditional subject of the nude becomes above all an exploration of colour, form and paint, while retaining a compelling sense of the model’s individual presence.