This painting represents a breakthrough painting, where the nuts and bolts of the drawing and values became secondary--or, perhaps, in service to--the overall effect of the piece. The effect of the bright nude against an even brighter sheet against a night of dark was the exploration, the chiaroscuro effect we see in Caravaggio and other classical painters. One bright moment in a dark place is a feeling we can all relate to. One bright thing, so lovely and delicate, we want to hold it and protect it. The crossed legs evoke that vulnerability. Overall a suggestion of beauty and human frailty all at once.