Throughout history, artists of all ages have celebrated and abused the female nude body. Yet this iconic subject is a constant source of controversy.
In 1863, Manet caused a scandal with his painting Olympia, depicting a reclining nude woman who seems like Venus but is actually a modern Parisian prostitute.
Danae by Rembrandt van Rijn
Throughout history, paintings that depict nude females have served as a canvas for intricate symbolism. Beyond merely depicting an unclothed body, these pieces encapsulate complex ideas ranging from the admiration of beauty to exploring fragility. Burrowing into the metaphors within these artworks reveals valuable conversations on societal norms, moral values, and aesthetic standards.
The female form is a topic that has always fascinated artists. It is a subject that has been subject to intense debates and explorations, from the portrayal of nakedness to the depiction of women in religious contexts. This obsession with the body is evident in art from antiquity to the present, with sculptures and paintings of a nude female appearing at all times and in all places.
One of the most famous paintings of a nude woman is Danae by Rembrandt van Rijn, based on the Greek myth of the princess of Argive who was impregnated by Eros. Her father King Akrisios locked her in a tower after receiving a prophecy that her son would kill him. She is portrayed as a naive and enchanted young girl waiting for the arrival of her lover. Rembrandt depicts her as a more natural and nobler form of the female than many of his contemporaries, rejecting ideal beauty in favor of a realistic depiction of the woman.
In contrast, Manet was able to show the same theme in an entirely different way in Odalisque. This is because he used the setting of an Oriental court to show that this European nude woman was not vulgar, but rather in keeping with the values of her time. Her odalisque costume is also quite detailed, featuring silk draperies and a variety of Eastern accessories such as a peacock feather fan, turban, hookah pipe, and enormous pearls. The elongated features of her face and neck show the influence of mannerism, while her bare breasts are reminiscent of the iconography of a nursing Madonna.
In 1910, Egon Schiele delved into the subject of nude females as well and explored the concept in a far more severe manner than his contemporary contemporaries. In his painting Female Nude, the artist portrayed a woman with emaciated proportions and sickly colors. The figure is completely naked, yet she presents a strong sense of power through her pose and the position of her hand. This depiction of an emaciated woman demonstrates that the nude female is not only a seductive object but a powerful force to be reckoned with.
La Grande Odalisque by Egon Schiele
The grotesque and the erotic merge into a tangled mess in this work by Austrian artist Egon Schiele. Schiele was classically trained but wanted to challenge the tradition of art. His fascination with the female form grew as he studied the works of Gustav Klimt, his mentor and close friend. He viewed the female nude as a vehicle for expression and eroticised his paintings of women – often depicting them in intimate situations. Despite his brief career that ended in 1918 due to the Spanish flu epidemic, his body of work is full of vibrant paintings and drawings.
The rediscovery of Greco-Roman cultural values during the Renaissance brought female nude painting and sculpture back into prominence. Figures by figurative masters like Botticelli (Birth of Venus, 1484; Allegory of Spring, 1482); Giorgione (Sleeping Venus, 1510) and Titian (Venus of Urbino, 1538) are some of the best examples of this re-embracing of the human figure.
However, these classical images still sold a particular vision of the female body. Ingres’s classic Odalisques, for example, marketed a porcelain sexuality that was acceptable to the prudish French culture of the time. This teasing, exoticised reimagining of the female body as object of sex reduced women’s worth to their sex appeal.
In contrast, Manet’s Olympia of 1865 presented a more natural and real-life female body. This change was further enabled by the invention of photography, which allowed artists to fix the naked body without breaking the moral code. The advent of modernism also prompted an exploration of the female body and sexuality, as seen in the works of Picasso and Henri Matisse.
These artists challenged the traditional art historical narrative that saw the female nude as an object of sex to be consumed by the male gaze. The artworks of these artists also tapped into the growing consciousness of gender and sexuality in their societies. Today, as shown by a number of artists featured in the Hood Museum’s collection, the representation of the female nude remains a powerful force in art. Meghan Dailey, curator of contemporary art at the Hood Museum, argues that today the female nude “adopts new forms and contexts that expand and challenge the conventions of its legacy.”1
Callisto by Boucher
The painting of Callisto by Boucher is an example of female nude depictions infused with opulence and grace. Its delicate brushwork accentuates the fluidity of its subjects, which evoke a sense of movement and ethereality. In the background, draped fabrics in a variety of pastel hues envelop the two figures, drawing the viewer’s attention to their intertwined bodies.
The nymph Callisto reclines gracefully, her hand reaching out behind the goddess’s head in an expression of affection. She looks so seductive that it would be easy to miss the fact that this is a scene of sexual assault. This interpretation is disputed, however, by the scholar Christopher Bedford who argues that Boucher’s treatment of the subject “should be seen in the context of its conception and from the textual origin.” He explains that the nymphs are depicted as a form of gender masquerade and mimicry, a ritual common to French eighteenth-century seduction fantasies.
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the moon goddess Diana’s favorite nymph Callisto is seduced by Jupiter, who takes on the form of Diana himself. He is well aware that her position in his service requires chastity and a virginal vow, but he doesn’t let such rules prevent him from taking full advantage of the opportunity to make love with a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, Callisto becomes pregnant, and she is banished by Diana for her transgression.
This dramatic narrative is depicted on a large scale in this drawing by Boucher, datable from the 1750s. The heightened degree of finish and even application of black chalk suggests that the drawing was not made as a compositional study but for display as a finished piece. The work exemplifies Boucher’s Rococo style, which features voluptuous paintings on classical themes and decorative allegories. He was the preferred painter of Madame de Pompadour, the favorite mistress of King Louis XV of France, and his works continue to influence modern art.
La Grande Odalisque by Praxiteles
In this painting, the odalisque — an enigmatic female figure that symbolizes exoticism and sensuality—rests nonchalantly on her divan. She is adorned with precious fabrics and jewels, and her turban reinforces the oriental motif of her attire. The odalisque’s body, characterized by curving lines, displays great anatomical precision, despite its unrealistically elongated proportions.
The odalisque is also notable for her expression, which conveys the idea that she is unmoved and indifferent. Her pose also hints at her sexy, carnal appeal and suggests that she was kept in the harem of a sultan for his pleasure. The increase in the height of her back and pelvis may be an attempt to emphasize her sexuality and her position as a concubine.
When the painting was first displayed, it received harsh criticism because of its eclecticism and departure from anatomical realism. The odalisque’s disproportionate physiognomy was interpreted as Ingres’ deliberate distortion of the female form to express his interest in eroticism.
Today, the painting is regarded as one of the most beautiful nude paintings, mainly because of its luxurious depiction of the odalisque’s surroundings and her enigmatic gaze. The work is considered to mark a break from Neoclassicism into Romanticism, and it also demonstrates Ingres’ fascination with the Orient.
However, the painting is also criticized for its portrayal of the female nude and its eroticism. It can be viewed as an example of the problematic Orientalism that permeated European culture in the late 19th century, and it can be debated whether the odalisque’s sexy appearance is appropriate for a religious painting. Moreover, it can be debated whether Ingres was in fact trying to create a sense of erotic tension with the female nude. In this regard, the work can be compared to the erotically charged Titian’s Venus of Urbino. Nevertheless, the odalisque is an important symbol of femininity and sexuality, and it can be seen as an important contribution to the history of art.