Up until this point he had never thought about using models for figure painting but he came up on the idea as he searched for a way to capture their essence. He finally realized that “the time of the brush had ended and finally my knowledge of judo was going to be useful. My models were my brushes. I made them smear themselves with color and imprint themselves on the canvas….But this was only the first step. I thereafter devised a sort of ballet of girls smeared on a grand canvas which resembled the white mat of judo contest” (Y. Klein, quoted in K. Brougher, op.cit, p. 173). These Anthropometrie paintings are among some of the most avant-garde works of the post-war period, combining painting and performance in one burst of creativity.

Klein’s FC 1 represents the pinnacle of the artist’s career, not only in chronological terms, but also in a deeply spiritual way. By placing the sensual apparitions of the female body amongst the flame bursts and smoke shadows, Klein combines life and death in way that speaks to the fragility of life, but also to its permanence. On the one hand, there is a clear sense of destructive power of the flame, yet on the other the presence of the curvaceous female form hints at the eternal power life that transcends all things.