this work from the 80's by Theophilus Brown sees a dramatic change in color and tonality from his earlier period of the early sixties up to the seventies. Brown abandons  the expressive brushstroke and sharp contrasted colors of the early period and explores the softer cooler and more silent tones moving in and out of the blue and into pink.

Brown has shifted from the early sixties academic principals guided by the Bay Area Figurative Movement mixing it with his own style evocative of the American Magic Realism of the early 30's and 40's.Again you can see the allegorical undertones of Christ's resurection within  the composition .

To illustrate the association I have attached an image of Piero della Francesco’s “Resurrection” (1480) (fresco) (89’’ x 79”) As the resurrected Christ, He carries a white flag with a red cross. This cross was adopted as the symbol of the Resurrection in art in the 12th century when the crusades were popular.  The white of the flag represents resurrection and the red cross Christ’s triumph over death.

Looking at Brown's composition one is quick to observe the small black cross left behind the sofa, a Reclining Nude with Red Cross Pillow  lies naked half awake. The sofa although soft in colors its sharp angles and straight lines feels more like a carved tomb stone She is sitting or posing in a sofa that has the rigidity and angles more suitable for a  coffin rather than a comfortable armchair or sofa.