Wicked, Hard and Supple: An Examination of Suzanne Valadon's Nude Drawings of Young Maurice

Abstract

This article examines the nude drawings Suzanne Valadon made of her young son, Maurice Utrillo. These drawings, depicting Utrillo from late childhood until adolescence, began Valadon's interest in the male nude, which she carried into her later career. Though children appeared often in her work, the drawings of Utrillo are complicated by the relationship between the artist and subject.