History of Nude Drawings in Art

History of Nude Drawings in finesseNudity vs. NakednessThe unclothed numeral is the nigh volatile face in the history of painting. The artists treatment of the nude dictates whether her gaze addresses the witnesser with a coy obliqueness or a confrontational directness. The figure has the cleverness to condemn, invite, and much perform both simultaneously. Through the security guards inverted project an immediate response to bleakness, the nude figure attains the ability to undress us. The photograph and splendor of nudity is that in its elemental form, with no adornment or intention, it is looked upon with for constituteness and beauty scarce the moment that it d all(prenominal)(prenominal)ies on the line of effortful pleasure, it get bulge be seen in the opposite swooning. Even right away, certain nude photos, in the culturally appropriated context, are appreciated as art, whereas pornographic public figures are pecked tactlessly and cheaply. The reclining nud es contentiousness fecal matter be charted from Cabanels genus genus Venus to Manets capital of Washington through the writers Zola, Clark and Castagnary. They betoken that it is the context that demarcates the crucial difference of bankable and refutable act ass of nudity and explain that these artists, most notably, Manet, disobey traditional conformity by creation able to belong to multiple facets of prostitution in that locationfore, in essence, not belong to all singular categorization.To preface my explication on Manets capital of Washington, Ill first give some background. Edouard Manet was born on January 29, 1832. He was offer educated that showed a great liking toward drawing and the liberal arts. His Uncle Charles Fournier encouraged Manets appreciation for the arts and often took him and his friend, Antonin Proust, on break throughings to the Louvre. In 1850 Manet entered the studio of Thomas Couture and studied there until 1856. During this time, Paris began its massive transformation of the city under the supervision of male monarch Haussmann. Haussmanns revitalization affected the physical environment of Paris as salubrious as the cultural and social atmosphere. Thousands of jobs were forced, stores redesigned, and buildings torn down and redeveloped. All of this happened to raise to conciliate Paris the most beautiful and cultural city in the world. This idea of change might arrest prompted Manets decision to paint his capital of Washington so b middle-agedly unfermented. But I believe the answer lies in the artists bearinglong ill-health it was in fact Manet himself suffered the physical pain from which he suffered on a daily basis was the result of a syphilic virus promise during one of his aforementioned youthful encounters, a mis beliefion which haunted the artist end-to-end his life . Taking this full stop into supposeation, one must therefore need the psychological effects that Manets own smell outings of guilt and regret concerning the ca utilisation of his illness, and consider the effects that it had upon his life and his work, and thus in turn the focusing in which those find oneselfings influenced his consider of women as a whole, but unwrapicularly those of ill-repute.Although he has been hailed as the first advanced painter, Manet was inspired by the great tradition of artists a resembling(p) Giorgione, Titian, Velazquez and Raphael, whom the Pre-Raphaelites had rejected. For example, capital of Washington (1863) is undoubtedly based on Renaissance works and shows his re-examination of old masters where as traditionally, nude figures were always depicted in simple settings or as goddesses, details like the choker and shoes of the field of operations of this painting make it clear she is a contemporary courtesan. Also, she does not hold back the typical demure, slightly coy expression the public would expect, but or else looks straight out of the painting in a matter of fa ct, contest expressive style which would be infracting and considered unacceptable at this time. This painting withal shows Spanish influences, and was come upond by a critic as a crazy act of Spanish madness due to the way the figure seems to be asserting a powerful physical presence. This idea of a powerful female figure was possibly inspired by the Spanish ballet troop who performed at the Hippodrome in Paris starring a woman called Lola, depicted as a robust, red-blooded figure.In the beauty parlour of 1863, Manets Olympia was criticized her unacceptable composition and directness of gaze while Cabanels Venus, subsequently purchased by Napoleon III, was lauded for its refined eroticism. Castagnary epitomizes this reckon office of the nude in his account of 1863 when he uses the words dazzling, immaculate and naked beauty to describe the nude form of the goddess Venus. Castagnary as well as comments on Venuss harmonious pose and unmingled, well arranged contours. Caba nels Venus is perfectly, technologically drawn- idealized, devoid of whatever blemish or form hair. She is sexually passive, characterless and more perfect than is humanly possible- which fitted with the original style of the time. According to Frances Borzello, Cabanel adheres to a strict set of conventions when he paints his Venus as historically, the reclining nude is painted in the guise of a definitive goddess and tends to lie with her eyes off-key from the attestant, half closed in(p), or even closed (as in Cabanels piece), offering no obstacle to his free-ranging glances everywhere her body she often stretches out in a landscape whose hummocks and valleys metaphorically echo her curves (hence the signification of the swelling sea Venus floats atop) . The Salon goers were used to seeing paintings with lick shades between light and dark, and because Manet covered up nearly all such shades, the critics could not see Olympia as a iii dimensional figure, only as an arr angement of flat patterns. But this industrious the eye more, forcing it to assemble continuity from extremes of light and dark. Manet chose instead to paint right-down brush strokes, implied shapes, strong simplified forms, and used simple colours. He allowed the spectator pump to see the paint itself as a part in the painting and to see the texture, and elements of colour. His work looked natural with no actual fixed composition. Olympia beyond doubt shows Manets determination to simplify. Manet highlights his rout with a thick, relentlessish lineation that closes in on her. As a result, all of these techniques forced the captivateer to see Olympia not only as a naked woman, but in like manner as patches of paint precisely laid on the surface of the canvas.Manets use of color in Olympia separates it from umteen of his early(a) paintings. Olympias chest is very lit up making her the focus of the painting. This flattens the image of Olympia by optioning the roundness of h er. Everything in this painting is either light or dark. The light and dark both make up both antithetic planes, the foreground and the background. The white sheets, pillows, kick bouquet, and the servants dress are the wide-cut foreground layer. The dark green curtains and rust like wallpaper make up the background. These two layers, however, are joined together with the servants dark face, the black cat, and Olympias black jewelry. Without these elements the foreground would look like it was just cut out and pasted down on a background. The contrast of colourise deep down Manets painting appeals to the viewers senses. Emotional responses to the painting, such as purity, are caused by the white colors of the fuck and the woman upon the sheets. Her white, sheer skin face relates to the natural association with virgin purity. The darkness that surrounds the women upon the bed then relates to dark, painful happenings that most relate to evil. The woman upon the bed inhibi ts the natural innocence of the painting. The flower that is fixed deep down her hair contains colors of pink and red hues. These brighter colors of the painting bring a very strong interest to the womans head and facial features. There are former(a) various color relationships within this painting as well. The different flowers seen in the bouquet can also be seen in the blanket Olympia is laying on. The dress of the servant matches that blanket also. The wall in the background coincides with the couch or bed that she is laying on. Overall the repetition of color allows the painting to flow smoothly. The use of color within the painting allows different perspectives based on feelings and emotions.The subject matter of this painting is both intriguing as well as artistic. The woman, Olympia, is portrayed in a very different way than most of paintings in that time breaker point. Her naked body shows her physical beauty, but the way she is propped upon the bed gives the idea of her not having respect for her personal body. The reason for this is that different paintings of this time show women presenting themselves in a more graceful matter, stereotypically ladylike. Her fuck nudity, with the exception of her bracelet, necklace, and shoes shows that she feels that vehemences are needed to make her beautiful. If the womans view of herself was different she would see herself and her body as a piece of art work within itself. Her jewelry, flower, and shoes show us she needs more to feel beauty outwardly. The bed beneath her gives the pretrial of laziness because it is unmade. Yet the lines of the sheets accent her body curves to give an even idea of shape. Some might view her as a sexual partner to many men because of her willingness to be nude and the flowers that are being brought to her by the servant. The flowers symbolize Olympia being very lady-like, and proper. However she maintains a very impersonal relationship with the viewer because of her flat gaz e.Camille Lemonnier states that in order for a nude to stay pure in art she must be made impersonal and this is what Cabanel does by draping the arm across Venuss face, obscuring it and allowing her just to peek out through half-closed eyelids and by ridding her body of imperfections (which explains the absence of pubic hair) that make her personalized, and therefore flawed. The view that comes across very strongly in Castagnarys account is that all artists that paint nudes should pass on to create perfection. This is a very different view compared to both Zola and Clark. Cabanel also includes the group of flying cupids that accompany Venus on her journey (to in the end stand erect and reveal herself to men as Castagnary puts it). They play the part of the necessary allegorical trappings that must be included in a traditional reclining nude, as the aim of the painter is to elevate his manikin to goddess status and present her idealized, modest form to the spectator to appreciat e and love in her immaculate beauty. By placing cupids in his painting it ensured that the spectator would fill in that this was Venus- not just a naked missy Cabanel got to model for him, a mistake Manet makes with his Olympia.The fact that Manet copied his model, in Zolas words, just as she was caused much shock and outrage among the crowd at the beauty parlour of 1863. Manet disrupted the convention that the reclining nude should in no way cause embarrassment to the viewer. He caused a scandal by posing his model as a modern woman (with no allusions to her being a goddess) who stared boldly back at the spectator, challenging and tempering. In Zolas account of Manets Olympia he focuses on the technical merits of the painting and highlights the new style that Manet was painting in, saying that everything is simplified and that if you deprivation to construct real(a)ity you must step back a bit, he believes Manet had performed a miracle. This view differs highly from Castagna rys, as in his account of Cabanels Venus he stresses the fact that Cabanel is a skilful draughtsman and much wildness is placed on creating a technically correct painting. However it is my view that Venus in Cabanels work doesnt sit as comfortably in her setting as Manets Olympia does in hers. To me Venus appears stuck on to the tiptop of the wave- as if Cabanel had sketched his model first and added the background in later, working it rough his model and not actually incorporating her into the scene very effectively.However, despite Manets miracle brushwork and his cultivated nod to Titians Venus of Urbino plurality found the painting offensive. We can clear distinguish Olympia as being a courtesan and this is what I believe caused the public react in a hostile manner towards it. She is adorned with many of the trappings that would have been familiar to them as they would have been able to tell she was a prostitute- her pink flower placed on the side of her head, her black ri bbon around her neck and slipper swing from her foot. A black maid offers flowers to her- no doubt sent by one of her clients, also whereas Titians Venus delicately covers her sex, Olympias flexed hand firmly protects hers, as if to refuse to let the viewers eye roam freely over her. This, accompanied with her calm, almost insolent glare further adds to the feeling of discomfort the visitors to the salon must have felt.There were many prostitutes around at this time that chose ancient names for themselves (like for example Olympia and Aphrodite) and numerous members of the noblesse kept open mistresses. It was normal to go about your business and family life during the day then mix with women like Olympia at night. These high class men would have attended the Salon with their families and been confronted with something from their other life- a prostitute. The fact that she was a prostitute elevated to goddess status many people design was unacceptable. Countless felt that this ki nd of image didnt fit in the setting of a respectable salon. Its because of this fact that Zola states that Manets work is more real than any other- when other painters correct nature (as Cabanel does in his work) they lie why not tell the truth? He says that Olympia is a girl of our own times whom we have met in the streets. Manet incorporated the present with the guileless in a way that had never been seen before, it was a comment on society but more importantly he wanted to draw his subject as she really was. Titian turned his model into a goddess, whereas Manet turned Titians goddess back into a simple woman.Here we see the differences in Castagnary and Zolas opinion. Its my painting that Castagnary advocated that nudes should be objects of perfection to be viewed as a way of deepen our appreciation of beauty, whereas Zola stresses the importance of telling the truth and painting from real life, to create a comment on society. However Clark takes a different office on the n ude altogether and argues that the nudes purpose is to stir erotic feelings within us- if it fails in this objective he believes the artist has created mischievously art.Clark says this is the obvious point of the nude, and that however abstract, it shouldnt fail to arouse in us some tail of erotic feeling. Manets Olympia certainly does this and so do countless other artists versions of the nude. Artists like Giorgione and Ingres show how the nude can be erotic in the traditional sense and artists such as Henry Moore, Modigliani, Picasso and Egon Schiele have explored new ways of portraying the nude- set free by Manets rebellion in 1863. However I do not wholly checker with Clarks view that the nude should always be erotic as I infer that the nude evoke other feelings besides this. For example Egon Schiele can rest the feeling that is conveyed to me is one of intense vulnerability and this is something Clarke doesnt explore at all. To be nude/naked is to be stripped of our clot hes, laid bare for all to see with nothing to hide us. It is true to say also that many nude paintings are too erotic- to the point where as a spectator you feel more like a voyeur.Lucien Freuds painting Naked girlfriend Asleep for example, shocks me whenever I look at it, as do any of his paintings. However it is true to say that in the period we are nourishment in we have been desensitized, which makes me believe that my reaction to Freuds work is similar to the salon goers of Manets day, to his Olympia. Its my opinion that the subject in Naked Girl Asleep is placed centrally on the canvas so that it forces you to look at her (much like how Manet made the focal point of his painting, Olympias eyes where she challenges you to engage with her). Everything in Freuds piece seems too stark and amplified, the rib cage juts out and the skin bill of the girl has an almost death like quality. Funnily enough this view is very similar to comments made by critics of Manets time about Olymp ias dingy flesh.I think it is very important to remind ourselves therefore of the period that each of these extracts were written in, as both Castagnary and Zolas account come from 1863, whereas the extract from Clarks book was written in 1956 and therefore what society found acceptable as art had changed quite dramatically. For centuries the reclining nude had been constrained by rules and conventions. later 1900 a reclining nude could be fractured by cubism or dissolved by abstraction painters were able to depict the previously unemitable. The nudes are no long-life passive like Cabanels Venus but force you to interact with them, as did Manets Olympia.However, I do harmonize with Clarkes point that a nude should be erotic, but I dont believe that is its only purpose. I also agree with his point that if it does not evoke any feeling then it is bad art and I think this is true to says of all art in every genre. I believe a painting has to make you feel something whether its a ba d feeling or a good one, as then it is creating a response- this is what I believe good art does. For me I get more out of looking at Manets Olympia than I do looking at Cabanels Venus as I feel there is more to engage with in the painting- the black servant presenting a bouquet of flowers, the cat curve its back and the mystery this creates. Is the cat arching his back and hissing because an unexpected person has just walked into Olympias room? Has Olympia sat up straighter, placed her hand coyly over her pubic area and met an unannounced guest with accusing, challenging eyes? Are we, as the spectator, in the position of someone bursting in? Is it us she challenges, looking out as we look in?Cabanels painting in contrast fills me with none of these questions apart from the fact that I want to know why it is that Cabanel thought it acceptable to plonk Venus on top of the wave I feel that she and the background do not fit together at all. Saying this I wouldnt say that Cabanels Venu s was completely devoid of any erotic overtones, as I believe the way she gazes out at the spectator through half closed eyes is, in a way, inviting. I think the main thing that irritates me about this painting though is her passivity, almost as if she cant be bothered to really allow in you. She seems resigned to the fact that she is there as an object of desire and just accepts it. Whereas Olympia is much more aware of her sexuality and is in control of it- this to me, active in a post-feminist era is a lot more interest and I feel I can identify with the painting more.In conclusion I believe that each of the writers attitudes towards the nude in the tercet extracts is valid and interesting. I can see Castagnarys point that the nude should be perfect as it can be an object of beauty, but this is an idealized view of how a woman should be. This view is still prevalent today in the culture we live in, where we are bombarded with images of perfect (often airbrushed models) on a da ily basis. The idea of what perfection is may have changed but the concept has not. I believe that Zolas opinion that painters should tell the truth is correct in reference to painting the nude, as I agree with showing the body as it is, complete with every blemish as Picasso said if it is pure (as Venus is in Cabanels painting) it is not art . I also agree with Clark to some extent when he says that a nudes purpose is to be erotic, but I do not believe that this is its only purpose. The nude can evoke all sorts of feelings within the viewer- feelings of pity, of empathy, of amazement, or of appreciation of our human bodies. To be nude is to revert back to the way we were in the beginning.BibliographyCLARK, T.J.- Olympias Choice, The Painting Of mod Life- Princeton- 1984- p. 212, p.214BORZELLO, Frances- Nude Awakening- The Guardian Online- 2009 (Found athttp//arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,11710,824240,00.html)CLARK, Kenneth- The Nude- A Study Of Ideal Art- fundament Murray- London- 1956 repr 1957- p. 6