Pear Lady

Pear Lady, 1977, R.C. Gorman lithograph, depicts a seated figure in an ochre-tan dress with white accents, her body angled gracefully as she gazes pensively into middle distance. Golden-green pears are scattered around her feet and lap, creating a still-life element within the figurative composition. The woman’s clothing reveals Gorman’s keen attention to textile rendering, with careful modeling of fabric folds and subtle shading. The neutral cream background allows full focus on the figure and the carefully arranged fruit. The work demonstrates Gorman’s ability to blend portraiture, still-life tradition, and cultural specificity into a unified poetic statement. The abundance of the pears suggests nourishment, patience, and seasonal cycles. A sophisticated example of his early maturity as a lithographic artist.