In Nu Debout I (Standing Nude I), Alberto Giacometti presents the human figure in its most essential and existential form. This lithograph , marked by the artist’s signature spidery line and restrained use of space, reflects Giacometti’s lifelong preoccupation with the fragility and resilience of human presence.

The female nude stands alone at the centre of an expansive, nearly empty field of paper. Her form, though diminutive in relation to the page, commands a powerful psychological weight. Built from restless, searching lines, the figure seems to flicker and vibrate with life, as if emerging from or dissolving into the surrounding void. Giacometti’s touch is both precise and uncertain - each mark a meditation on how we see, know, and represent another human being.

Unlike classical nudes that idealise or eroticise, Nu Debout I is a study in vulnerability and perseverance. The elongated limbs, narrow torso, and slightly bowed head evoke both dignity and isolation, mirroring the existential themes that defined post-war European art and philosophy.

This work is not simply a figure drawing; it is an encounter, with presence, with absence, and with the human condition itself. In Nu Debout I, Giacometti distils the body to its core and, in doing so, reveals its profound emotional and metaphysical depth.