One Work: Joan Semmel’s “Waiting”

The woman is nude and seated, her torso leaning forward. Her right hand rests on her left thigh, while her left arm supports her from behind. She looks out a large window, the light warming her naked flesh, streaking her breasts with creamy bands of sunshine. The title of this painting, Waiting (2020), informs us that the sitter is expecting something or someone—but what or whom is left unstated. Her mood is similarly inscrutable; her eyes, which might provide a glimpse into her psyche, ar