The earliest known portrayal of the naked female form in art is The Venus of Willendorf.
This particular item dates from 28,000-25,000 BC.
This particular portrayal of the human body is just 11cm tall and was discovered just over 100 years ago during an archaeological excavation in Austria. This particular item was created using limestone and coloured with red ochre. It’s thought that items such as this were designed to be used as fertility symbols; items that brought luck to those trying to conceive, a mother goddess symbol.
These beliefs were caused by the very prominent features of the figure: the large breasts, the rounded stomach, and the shapely hips. However, no in is exactly sure what the exact purpose of these figures are.
David, created across three years by Michelangelo, is one of the most recognised and appreciated portrayals of the human body across the world. Dating back to the early 1500’s, this statue is created using a single block of Marble and stands at a staggering 5.16 metres.
It’s both frustrating and hilarious that the first image looked at focuses on a larger, unusually shaped female, yet the next one is the enormous and chiseled hunk that is David.
The story behind the statue of David is the well known Biblical story of David and Goliath: a teenager not at all equipped to defeat the enormous Goliath, David uses his cunning skill to defeat him using a slingshot.
The statue portrays confidence and I feel that Michelangelo has depicted David so enormously to represent this, as well as his pride and his determination. You can see the slingshot on his shoulder and the rock cradled in his hand; the weapons used to defeat Goliath.
I’m unsure as to why David is stark naked, however, the definition and accuracy of the male form on this statue is remarkable. It’s easy to forget that this is just that; a statue, and not an actual human being.
The contrast between this and the previous human form looked at is huge. It’s completely incredible to see how the depiction of the human form changed in that amount of time. The development in skill, equipment and tools must have changed enormously from the time of The Venus of Willendorf to that of David. We have also moved into a whole new purpose for creating the human body; beforehand, these items were designed to serve as luck and to bring success. Now, artists are using their creations to tell stories and to show important historical events.
The scene of Cranach’s Adam and Eve is set in a forest clearing where Eve stands before the Tree of Knowledge, caught in the act of handing an apple to a bewildered Adam. Entwined in the tree’s branches above, the serpent looks on as Adam succumbs to temptation.
Here we move away from the nude human form as a statue, and towards the use of colour upon surface.
The details within this piece are very finely painted and the use of colour and tone is gorgeous. Looking at the figures of Adam and Eve, as well as that of the animals surrounding them, I feel that their forms are accurately portrayed and extremely believable. Also, personally, I enjoy art far more when it’s colourful. I feel that it adds more life to the piece, and it’s during this era that we begin to move into a more colourful form of creativity; one in which stories are told through paintings. Like David, Adam and Eve is a depiction of a biblical story that we all know and love, and this version of it is so lovely.
Something that I find really interesting about this piece is the use of the fig leaf to protect their modesty. The leaf, as in many depictions of these scene, covers their genitals. In many statues and paintings from this era and before the full body is on show, and although you are able to see every other part of these bodies, I find something quite innocent and sweet about the fact that the leaves are covering their lower areas.
Moving forward in time, we enter an era where the human body in art was less of a religious symbol, and more of a portrayal of beauty. The human nude became less a story teller and more something to admire and celebrate, as you can see here in Olympia.
When this particular painting was first unveiled, viewers were shocked. Initially, not due to her lack of clothing, but because of her confidence and comfort at being painted in such a state. As you can maybe imagine, this was something not often favoured of women of high standing during the 19th century.
But what would viewers think of someone of a lower class in this state? The woman in this painting is, in fact, a prostitute. Something that Manet didn’t exactly keep a secret. So, rather than portraying a nude figure from the bible, as would very much be the convention at this time, Manet chose instead to paint a prostitute; elevating her to position of central importance in his picture.
I love that. It’s an extraordinarily risky shot, and one that shocked thousands of people, but something that put his name on the map. And, let’s be honest, it’s a gorgeous piece.
A female figure; beautiful and confident in her natural form.
I also read that the figure behind her is a maid, possibly delivering flowers from a lover. I think is accentuates her success in her field of work and gives her the air of royalty. Good on her and good on the painter. I think this is a remarkable piece with so much power within it. A truly shocking and memorable piece of work.
We’ve got there. We have arrived in the era where the human nude was used to create what we all know it best for – sex and sexuality.
I have never seen this piece before, and I have to admit, I think it’s fabulous. Man Ray’s Mr & Mrs Woodman, 1928.
Moving completely away from sculpture and painting, we now enter the era of the camera. Man Ray approached his depiction of the human nude in a very obscure and surreal way; creating risqué and playful photos of 2 small wooden mannequins engaging in sexual acts.
He is known for his Dadaist and Surrealist approach to art; challenging the norms of the creative world and engaging in a more spontaneous and shocking approach to his artwork.
Although still outrageous and something that would stun some viewers, the 20th century became a time were sex and the natural form became celebrated and was less something used to tell stories or blowing minds, but a thing that was appreciated by many. It even became something of inspiration.
Yes, there were, and still are, many people that would not admire or appreciate this form of artwork, but the 20th century was fast becoming a time where people were experimenting with their sexuality and taking more pride in their bodies and the way they could display them. Whilst we do still live in a world where things like this cause some to faint from shock, it’s artists such as Man Ray that have helped develop the art world into something a bit more interesting and fun.
Sticking with that same theme of celebrating the human form, we have Tom Wesselmann and his print of Monica Sitting With Mondrian, 1989.
Less shocking and less sexual, this print is one of my favourites. I love that the strength in detail lays solely in the structure of the female body. Her face is blank, apart from her lips, and parts of her are incomplete, such as the top of her head and her left arm. But her torso is where all the detail is.
This piece looks like it was created quickly, however, there’s something still really intriguing about it. It’s very 80s, which I love; the style and colour scheme of it is really gorgeous. The most interesting thing to me is that, whilst the piece is very linear and very basic, the figure within it is still extremely attractive. It makes no difference that she has no face and that parts of her body aren’t even drawn; she is beautiful and, as a woman myself, I find this portrayal of the female body really empowering.
Another thing that fascinates me is that the earliest pieces of art that depict the human form were basic, and then, as time progressed, we became more accurate and more specific in our detail, but now, contemporary artists have sort of said “sod it” and done whatever they feel like doing to create the naked form.
This particular piece fills me with inspiration and has eased many anxious thoughts that I had approaching this area of the course. I was really apprehensive about focusing on the human figure, but this piece has shown me that my creations don’t need to be perfect, they don’t need to be extraordinary.
This artist has injected so much of their own very specific style into this piece, which is something that I have been strongly encouraged to do by my tutor. It’s not until seeing this piece that I’ve truly realised that my work is what I make it and it really can be whatever the hell I want it to be.
Finally, I looked at this incredible piece.
She’s Light (Laser 3) by Chris Levine, created in 2012.
Photographer Chris Levine has photographed some of the most iconic faces of the 20th Century. In this image, Kate Moss is styled as she might be for a glossy magazine; slickly-styled with a brightly hued background mounted on a lightbox. I think this piece is marvellous. It reminds me of the 70s; an era that I strongly appreciate for it’s style and artwork.
It’s always slightly shocking to see a celebrity baring all, but this piece is tasteful and beautiful. Many of the more contemporary portrayals of the nude have been sex focused, however, I feel that we have returned again to the appreciation of the body. It’s also become very apparent to me that the female body is a very celebrated, focused on form of art. Page 3 models and pornographic content celebrate both genders, but predominantly females for their curves and their confidence in their nudity. Whilst many people feel that this is distasteful and something to be ashamed of, I feel that if somebody wishes to celebrate their appearance and receive appreciation for it, then why not? When it’s welcomed and when its consensual, I think appreciating the human body is excellent.
It just makes me think. Where will we be in another 100 or 500 or 1000 years when it comes to the human form?
References:
https://www.italymagazine.com/dual-language/story-behind-michelangelos-david
https://www.manet.org/olympia.jsp
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/erotic-sale-l18325/lot.58.html
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/tom-wesselmann-monica-sitting-with-mondrian-19
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/chris-levine-kate-moss-shes-light-laser-3
Jesy Gilkes 