The motif of a standing female nude with an upraised arm refers to classical sculpture. As early as 1905, this subject begins to appear with surprising frequency in Pablo Picasso’s work, including La toilette, also in the Albright-Knox's collection. Nude Figure is a triumphant example of Analytic Cubism (1909–12). Each form depicted in the painting has been divided up into small geometric facets in order to represent the object from all viewpoints at the same time. The background is analyzed and reconstructed in the same way so that it merges with the objects depicted, flattening the space of the composition.

Label from Picasso: The Artist and His Models, November 5, 2016–February 19, 2017