“Basic Boating,” created by Julian Schnabel in 2015, is a piece of photographic art closely aligned with the Neo-Expressionism movement. It falls under the genre of nude painting (nu), despite the use of photography as its primary medium.
The artwork depicts a nude figure seated on the edge of a sailboat, set against a backdrop of tranquil waters and a distant coastline. The subject of the photograph strikes a confident and graceful pose, with one arm extended upwards and the other draped casually by her side, conveying a sense of freedom and boldness. The photograph is overlaid with broad, deliberate strokes of purple pigment, which both disrupt and complement the serene nautical scene. The juxtaposition of the naturalistic photographic elements with the expressive, painterly marks embodies the hallmarks of the Neo-Expressionist style, merging abstraction with figuration. The contrast between the calm water and the energetic purple streaks adds a layer of dynamism and complexity to the composition, encouraging the viewer to engage with the artwork on multiple levels.
