'ema (nude on a staircase)' pulls the reader into the mind of ema, the young woman descending the staircase in gerhard richter's 1966 painting, 'ema'. ema is a young artist who wants to discover what her greatest form of creativity is. she embarks on a journey of awakening, a quest for mastery that brings her into dialogue with her teachers and with her great mentors, the artists gerhard richter, marcel duchamp and john cage. ema explores her field, finds her own voice, considers the world and eventually becomes a real master herself.