In “Standing Female Nude” Duffy invents the persona of a ‘river whore’ — the artist’s title and subject of the painting — with a cynical outlook on the world. She questions the value of art and the motives of the artist. It also highlights the double standard. She is regarded by society as an immoral woman who sells her body, while he is regarded as a ‘genius’. New York. Museum of Modern Art. "Picasso: Forty Years of His Art," November 15, 1939–January 7, 1940, no. 92.

Objects Promised to the Museum during the Year 2012–2013." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, One Hundred Forty-third Annual Report of the Trustees for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013 (2013), p. 47. When she smiles it “confuses him.” She thinks this is because artists always “take themselves too seriously.” She contrasts this way of thinking about oneself with the way she lives her own life. The speaker informs the reader that “At night” she fills herself “with wine and “dances around the bars.” She has physical joy in her life that seems to be unknown to the artist. The beauty and vulnerability of the model are two intertwined concepts that are explored in Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Standing Female Nude.” The poem depicts the model as a work of art, a subject to be admired and appreciated for her physical beauty. However, it also highlights the vulnerability of the model, who is exposed and objectified by the artist and the viewers. The poem raises questions about the power dynamics between the artist and the model, and the objectification of women in art and society. Through her poem, Duffy invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between beauty and vulnerability, and the ways in which they are intertwined in our perceptions of the female body. The Model’s Relationship with the Artist Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "The Cubist Epoch," December 15, 1970–February 21, 1971, no. 267.Standing Female Nude” was the title poem of Duffy’s first collection, and can be taken as a symbolic reference to her status as a poet at the time, in that she was laying her soul bare by standing up for feminism in a male-dominated world. Carol Ann Duffy’s poem “Standing Female Nude” has made a significant contribution to feminist discourse. The poem explores the objectification of women in the art world and the power dynamics between the artist and the model. Duffy’s use of the first-person narrative voice of the model allows readers to empathize with her experience of being reduced to a mere object for the artist’s gaze. The poem also highlights the economic exploitation of women in the art industry, as the model is paid a meager sum for her labor while the artist profits from her image. By shedding light on these issues, Duffy’s poem challenges the patriarchal norms that have long dominated the art world and encourages a more equitable representation of women in art. The Poem’s Message and Themes

Marius de Zayas. How, When, and Why Modern Art Came to New York. Ed. Francis M. Naumann. Cambridge, Mass., 1996, pp. 24, 26, fig. 28. Didier Ottinger in The Armory Show at 100: Modernism and Revolution. Ed. Marilyn Satin Kushner and Kimberly Orcutt. Exh. cat., New-York Historical Society. New York and London, 2013. Furthermore, the poem’s cultural context is also significant. Duffy is a Scottish poet, and her work often explores themes of identity and belonging. In “Standing Female Nude,” she highlights the experiences of a foreign model who is working in a foreign country, highlighting the challenges of being an outsider in a new place. Carol Ann Duffy was born in Scotland (in 1955) but moved with her family to Stafford in the English Midlands when still a child. She knew from the age of 14 that she wanted to be a poet but she was 30 before she really “arrived” with her first major collection, “Standing Female Nude”. Since then her lively commentaries on modern life have won her a huge audience with the double result of her poems being regularly featured on school English syllabuses and the award (in 2009) of the Poet Laureateship, which she held until 2019. Additionally, the use of enjambment throughout the poem creates a sense of tension and unease. Lines flow into each other, creating a sense of urgency and discomfort. This mirrors the discomfort felt by the model as she is forced to hold uncomfortable poses for the artist’s gaze.

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Waldo Frank, Lewis Mumford, Dorothy Norman, Paul Rosenfeld, and Harold Rugg, ed. America and Alfred Stieglitz: A Collective Portrait. Rev. ed (1st ed., 1934). Millerton, N. Y., 1979, pl. 50.

The language is colloquial, representing the speech of a working-class girl who is also a sex worker. The voice is that of the speaker, an artist’s model, using the first personal singular ‘I’. The tone is wry, cynical with frequent use of double entendre.

Object details

Williamstown, Mass. Lawrence Hall, Williams College. "An Exhibition of Works of Art Lent by the Alumni of Williams College," May 5–June 16, 1962, no. 97 (as "Nude," 1911, lent by William H. Alexander).