Cynthia Brown was a favorite model of both Moses and Raphael Soyer, posing often for them for more than twenty years. During this time she matured under the artists’ eyes, as is demonstrated by the museum’s two paintings of her by Moses, created years apart. In this painting Cynthia is young, her angular face full. Moses no doubt painted her so often because she epitomized the type of woman to whom he was attracted. He even married such a woman, describing his wife, Ida Chassner (d. 1970), as "tall, angular, . . . with wide-apart blue eyes, curly hair, and high cheekbones."
While Soyer usually portrayed his figures dressed, he occasionally painted full and partially draped nudes. In this painting Cynthia covers her breasts with her hands. The modesty of the gesture accentuates her vulnerability. The artist’s portrayal of this wide-eyed, doleful woman is very poignant.
