Painted in October 1943. Quatre leveuses de bras (Four Women Lifting their Arms) offers a radical new look and modern interpretation of the female nude. Rather than elaborating on the setting, Dubuffet elevates the four figures and flattens them across the surface of the canvas. The narrow areas of background between their bodies are painted in bright colors, merely hinting at an outdoor scene indicated by small patches of blue sky. The first owner of Quatre leveuses de bras was Dubuffet’s friend Jean Paulhan, a French writer, critic, and editor of the literary magazine La nouvelle revue française.