Thanks, George! At least when you look at art and sculptures in the BCE era nudity is fair game for everyone! Generally, (not always true) it's from the Renaissance on where the boobs-out brigade begins. Just title your image of a reclining lovely Venus and full frontal nudity is allowed. Check out 'Venus of Urbino' by our pal Titian... the OG single-name artist.
It's kind of interesting that artists were all about the nudity. Is it because they are trying to show the natural state of humans? Clothes being a modern convenience? A bit like how portraits these days don't usually include mobile phones? Or am I being ridiculous?
Yes, those arguments can be made, including that it's a sign of disregard for human inhibitions (they are Goddesses after all). Of course, different peoples view nudity differently (having a sauna in Ireland and Northern Europe are very different experiences 😉). Originally, artists needed to understand anatomy so they learned from nude models and become comfortable with that. Not that I'm telling you things you don't know! I suppose I mean to note that artists can come up lots of reasons for their love of the nude but there is a power in the naked form. And the human body is beautiful. This drives some of it and of course, there's the sexy angle too.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the nudity taboo time and culture dependent?
As already mentioned in the comments below, in the BC era everybody was depicted naked. Maybe during and after the Renaissance naked women's breasts weren't considered an offensive sight, and only the genitals (both male and female) were covered with some piece of cloth (or kept out of view by crossing the legs)?
I think the obsession with boobs is a relatively modern obsession. Anyway, great piece!
Yes, Jetse, as I mention in the comments, cultural mores about nudity differ radically depending on time periods, etc. These lavish paintings I often use are usually from the Western tradition, from the 15th Century on, so they are tied into a certain sensibility. Also, so much art until the advent of museums was for the private enjoyment of the elite, if it wasn't commissioned for holy spaces.
We have had a democratisaion of art in the past few centuries.
And way prior to this, nudity was more accepted and expressed a different attitude. And the further back you go, bodies have a wider spectrum of shapes and sizes.
A generalisation could be made that the warmer the climate the more relaxed people are about nudity. But then you can get embroiled in issues of hierarchy, where the richer you were the more sheltered you are from the natural world, and that aspect is depicted to prove your status...
Wonderful piece, Maura! Timely, too - not just with the Halloween/comet link, but also because I've just been studying the role of Delphi in Greek storytelling, in relation to expressions of culture. Lots of sculptural nudity, but this was often a signal of social status. You've now got me fascinated to dive into the role of nudity in paint, through different time periods and different cultures... Thanks for the inspiration!
Sarah, thanks! I've done quite a bit of reading in Delphi myself, and always I can sense an older order usurped by an invading culture.
The nudity issue is interesting (I chatted about it in other comments) and yes it usually reflects status and the attitudes of the dominant culture, which change as time goes on. One day nudity is power and decades later it depicts diminished means. A lot of the time these attitudes shift to distinguish people from their ancestors. 'Ugh, wigs?! That is so old fashioned! Baldness is the new hot thing: note how it reveals one's exquisite skull shape!' Etc, etc.
Ah the poorly draped women of legend! Another great post, Maura - educational and entertaining!
Thanks, George! At least when you look at art and sculptures in the BCE era nudity is fair game for everyone! Generally, (not always true) it's from the Renaissance on where the boobs-out brigade begins. Just title your image of a reclining lovely Venus and full frontal nudity is allowed. Check out 'Venus of Urbino' by our pal Titian... the OG single-name artist.
It's kind of interesting that artists were all about the nudity. Is it because they are trying to show the natural state of humans? Clothes being a modern convenience? A bit like how portraits these days don't usually include mobile phones? Or am I being ridiculous?
Yes, those arguments can be made, including that it's a sign of disregard for human inhibitions (they are Goddesses after all). Of course, different peoples view nudity differently (having a sauna in Ireland and Northern Europe are very different experiences 😉). Originally, artists needed to understand anatomy so they learned from nude models and become comfortable with that. Not that I'm telling you things you don't know! I suppose I mean to note that artists can come up lots of reasons for their love of the nude but there is a power in the naked form. And the human body is beautiful. This drives some of it and of course, there's the sexy angle too.
Loved this, Maura!
Thanks! 😄
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the nudity taboo time and culture dependent?
As already mentioned in the comments below, in the BC era everybody was depicted naked. Maybe during and after the Renaissance naked women's breasts weren't considered an offensive sight, and only the genitals (both male and female) were covered with some piece of cloth (or kept out of view by crossing the legs)?
I think the obsession with boobs is a relatively modern obsession. Anyway, great piece!
Yes, Jetse, as I mention in the comments, cultural mores about nudity differ radically depending on time periods, etc. These lavish paintings I often use are usually from the Western tradition, from the 15th Century on, so they are tied into a certain sensibility. Also, so much art until the advent of museums was for the private enjoyment of the elite, if it wasn't commissioned for holy spaces.
We have had a democratisaion of art in the past few centuries.
And way prior to this, nudity was more accepted and expressed a different attitude. And the further back you go, bodies have a wider spectrum of shapes and sizes.
A generalisation could be made that the warmer the climate the more relaxed people are about nudity. But then you can get embroiled in issues of hierarchy, where the richer you were the more sheltered you are from the natural world, and that aspect is depicted to prove your status...
So yes, it's complicated! 😉
Wonderful piece, Maura! Timely, too - not just with the Halloween/comet link, but also because I've just been studying the role of Delphi in Greek storytelling, in relation to expressions of culture. Lots of sculptural nudity, but this was often a signal of social status. You've now got me fascinated to dive into the role of nudity in paint, through different time periods and different cultures... Thanks for the inspiration!
Sarah, thanks! I've done quite a bit of reading in Delphi myself, and always I can sense an older order usurped by an invading culture.
The nudity issue is interesting (I chatted about it in other comments) and yes it usually reflects status and the attitudes of the dominant culture, which change as time goes on. One day nudity is power and decades later it depicts diminished means. A lot of the time these attitudes shift to distinguish people from their ancestors. 'Ugh, wigs?! That is so old fashioned! Baldness is the new hot thing: note how it reveals one's exquisite skull shape!' Etc, etc.