The Prague-born artist Jan Matulka immigrated to the United States in his teens and became a painter, printmaker, draftsman, and teacher who helped spread the influence of modernism in American art. (The sculptor David Smith, whose "Head with Cogs for Eyes" may be viewed in this same exhibition, was one of the young artists who studied with Matulka when he taught at the Art Students League in New York from 1929 to 1931.) Matulka developed a distinctive approach to modernism, and especially cubism, through his studies in New York and his travels in Europe and America. "Standing Male Nude" (and "Hopi Snake Dance" on the reverse of this sheet) were probably drawn around the time of his visit to New Mexico and Arizona in 1917–1918. The image demonstrates Matulka’s early ability to lend his figures a strong, solid, and sculptural quality. "New York Buildings", made about seven years later, shows the evolution of his draftsmanship as he continued to contemplate the stylization and simplification of forms.