On the whole, Martin Beck's latest works call our attention to the present and its position within a larger temporal trajectory. The tactility of his medium and his use of live drawing bring us, the audience, into a particular ephemeral and instantaneous moment, while his subject matter - the nude - calls our attention to a longer tradition of history. Similarly, Beck's use of abstract backgrounds works to remove us from a specific temporality, while the objects he often presents alongside his figures draw us back into our contemporary settings. Beck's work thus demands both proximity and distance, presence and detachment, from his viewers, creating a layered and multifaceted experience.