Yep, it's sure a lot more skin than your regular head-and-hands portrait.
Linda, you already know how much I like this piece. The "sensuous line", as it were, need not be provocative as much as
evocative. Here, the sense of "languor" is certainly evoked. As I'd mentioned to you before - the most sensual aspect in this piece stems from what is
not revealed as opposed to what is. The piano shawl itself is a sensual, flowing object, and is an integral part of this work, as opposed to a mere prop.
I've only seen a few Sanden and Schmid nudes, but they seem to fall into the more painterly/less volume category (off the top of my head). Shanks' nudes are very engaging: direct gazes with energetic lines & very volumetric - but to me they convey more of a sense of character along the lines of a portrait. But then you have to keep in mind that this is what I've tried to go for in my figurative work, so it's really in the eye of the beholder.
I don't think there's a standard formula for an "inoffensive nude", meaning that, if someone wants to find something offensive in it, they will find it no matter how conservative the piece. Don't be put off by those who may have hangups about the human body, or piano shawls for that matter
