Odalisque with Anklet,

ca. 1955–57

of weight, mass, and bodily presence, in contrast to Archipenko’s Flat Torso, on the adjacent pedestal, which conveys a lightness that transcends its materiality. The body of this voluptuous reclining figure, wearing loose pants and strands of beads around her torso and ankle, is draped over the pedestal, one leg bent, the other extending into the space of the viewer. The term odalisque is often used to describe depictions of women in postures of languid repose that convey a sensuality associated with orientalizing stereotypes. Caro’s odalisque appears overcome by the heaviness of the material from which she is sculpted, melting into the ground beneath her.