Diver Series: Figures on the Brink

Male nude hesitating on a cliff above the sea near a seastack

On the Brink

Oil on Canvas — 152 x 180 cm (60 x 71 in)

Falling Man

Oil on Canvas — 200 x 180 cm (78.5 x 71 in)

Falling Couple

Oil on Canvas — 197 x 98 cm (77.5 x 38.5 in)

Diver Testing the Water

Oil on Canvas — 180 x 180 cm (71 x 71 in)

Falling Woman

Oil on Canvas — 200 x 100 cm (78.5 x 39.5 in)

Nude Man on Cliff

Oil on Canvas — 80 x 80 cm (31.5 x 31.5 in)

Man on Cliff Edge

Oil on Canvas — 132 x 113 cm (52 x 44.5 in)

Outlook Nude Man

Oil on Canvas — 100 x 100 cm (39.5 x 39.5 in)

Jumping Woman

Oil on Canvas — 100 x 50 cm (39.5 x 19.5 in)

Reclining nude woman dreaming while a male figure waits on a diving board in a triptych composition

Dreaming Woman

Oil on Canvas — 100 x 150 cm (39.5 x 59 in)

Tall vertical painting of a nude man standing on a diving board against open sky

Ayissi on Diving Board

Oil on Canvas — 198 x 97 cm (78 x 38 in)

Male figure dissolving while falling toward an intense blue sea

Falling Male Figure

Oil on Canvas — 73 x 50 cm (28.5 x 19.5 in)

Figure diving from a cliff captured in mid-action above the sea

Cliff Jump

Oil on Canvas — 116 x 90 cm (45.5 x 35.5 in)

Early acrylic study of a diver near the rocks at Nice

First Diver Study (1979)

Acrylic on Hardboard — 40 x 40 cm (15.5 x 15.5 in)

Expressionist diver standing on rocks above the sea in Nice

Diver on the rocks in Nice (1986)

Oils and oilstiks on jute canvas — 170 x 140 cm (67 x 55 in)

The Diver Gallery

The Diver series explores male and female figures poised on the precipice, captured in the profound moments of hesitation before the leap. This lifelong investigation began in 1979 on the Côte d’Azur, at the terminus of the Promenade des Anglais, where the rocky coastline facilitates dives into the Mediterranean from heights of up to ten meters.

During this formative period, Nicholas Stedman produced extensive life sketches, including the first diver study of 1979 (view study). In 1986, he returned to Nice to execute his first large-scale work on jute canvas, utilizing expressionistic "Oilstiks" to capture the raw energy of the site (view Diver in Nice).

The series reached a new intensity following Stedman’s relocation to Sicily. The stark limestone cliffs of Siracusa and the verticality of the Mediterranean sun brought a renewed focus to the interplay of light and shadow, and the metaphysical "moment on the brink." Working with models both in the studio and on location, the artist continues to interrogate the tension between the human figure and the vastness of the horizon.

Stedman’s Diver works are held in private collections worldwide. Currently, a featured diver painting is available through RiseArt; it can be viewed here.