Torso's small size creates intimacy, inviting the viewer to approach and admire this female nude's forms and smooth silhouette. Taylor studied under both Alma Thomas and Alexander Giampietro, an Italian sculptor. Perhaps because of Giampietro's influence, as well as Taylor's interest in many different artistic traditions, a preoccupation with subjects that were associated with classical and Italian Renaissance art history is evident in many of his works. From the 1960s through the 1990s, Taylor worked often with female, mother and child, and Christian religious imagery. Additionally, the weathered, limbless appearance of Torso suggests the passage of time and the condition in which many Renaissance and classical works are found. Although it is not apparent in Torso, Taylor's works frequently incorporate African American features, adding another dimension from his own heritage to the many artistic traditions he explores in his sculptures.   J. S.