I feel that I would like to put figure drawing into some sort of historical context so I'm planning to look at the nude study as it has developed over time.
I have taken much of my information from http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/genres/female-nudes-art-history.htm
as it is concise but gives me pointers for further investigation.
Nakedness is an ever present condition for human beings and is dependent on the climate, circumstances, beliefs and culture of a given particular society.
The nude has been a recurrent theme in art ever since man started to draw. The nude had a place in cave drawings, ancient Greek art, Roman art and more recently European art. The depiction of the nude tends to follow the social mores of the geographical area and the era. As society changes so do the norms.
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| Carving showing the story of the Ramayana at Borobudur, Java My photo |
I took the above photo in Java at the archaeological site at Borobudur. Borobudur is a 9th century Mahayana Buddist Temple complex and all around the largest building is carved the story of the Ramayana. There are many nudes and explicit sexual images in what is a site of religious devotion.
The Greeks and Romans accepted nudity as a fact of life and were not worried by it. The Greeks particularly revered the naked male body. Sportsmen competed unclad and the gymnasium was literally "a place to be naked". Statues and paintings of nudes were usually of gods and goddesses or famous athletes. (1) Attitudes to female nakedness were quite different and for many centuries women were portrayed clothed. Thereafter depictions of women were usually idealised and had strategically placed covering for modesty. They were aesthetically beautiful and intended to be gazed on. (2)
In Byzantine art the naked female figure rarely seen. If it is seen it is to depict shame, guilt or smutty humour. The image of a barely clad Christ at his Crucifixion is prevalent and aims to show suffering. There was a hardening of attitudes towards the nude because of its association with paganism.
This hardening of attitudes was reinforced in the Middle Ages. While art of all kinds flourished the nude became sinful and pinned firmly at the door of Adam and Eve. In a curious twist the naked female was sometimes depicted in Church art to indicated the purity of the virgin. There is a celebrated carving by Gregor Erhart (c.1470-1540) showing a serene and undoubtedly pure (?) Mary Magdalene.
In the Renaissance there was a cultural shift and attitudes to the nude changed again. This time the perfection of the proportion of the Greeks gave way to depictions of sensuality and voluptuousness. In fact the Church became concerned that things were getting out of hand and they tried to call a halt to what they saw as licentious and depraved.
From this time we have images like Susanna and the Elders by Tintoretto (1555).
Tintoretto's painting shows a Bible story where the pure (and naked) Susanna is threatened by older men and she is unaware of them. The clothed men are barely discernible in the bushes and the focus is firmly on Susannah as she completes her bath. We are witnesses and voyeurs.
Titian's Venus of Urbino is instantly recognisable as the archetypal reclining nude. This image is so different - the self absorption of Tintoretto's Susannah is replaced by open sensuality in Titian's painting.
Itself an interpretation of the work of Giorgione (1510) Venus of Urbino has been re-interpreted many times by artists like Manet who based Olympia on it in 1863.
In Baroque art figure drawing was seen as the way to learn to draw and academies were set up for the purpose. Rubens set great store by drawing and in some of his paintings he only took responsibility for the "hard" bits like faces and hands because he was so good at it. The Three Graces is a painting everyone knows. There are several versions but the one we know so well is one of his later paintings.
This hardening of attitudes was reinforced in the Middle Ages. While art of all kinds flourished the nude became sinful and pinned firmly at the door of Adam and Eve. In a curious twist the naked female was sometimes depicted in Church art to indicated the purity of the virgin. There is a celebrated carving by Gregor Erhart (c.1470-1540) showing a serene and undoubtedly pure (?) Mary Magdalene.
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| St Mary Magdalene - Gregor Erhart (1510) Wood carving (2) |
In the Renaissance there was a cultural shift and attitudes to the nude changed again. This time the perfection of the proportion of the Greeks gave way to depictions of sensuality and voluptuousness. In fact the Church became concerned that things were getting out of hand and they tried to call a halt to what they saw as licentious and depraved.
From this time we have images like Susanna and the Elders by Tintoretto (1555).
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| Susannah and the Elders - Tintoretto (1555) (3) |
Tintoretto's painting shows a Bible story where the pure (and naked) Susanna is threatened by older men and she is unaware of them. The clothed men are barely discernible in the bushes and the focus is firmly on Susannah as she completes her bath. We are witnesses and voyeurs.
Titian's Venus of Urbino is instantly recognisable as the archetypal reclining nude. This image is so different - the self absorption of Tintoretto's Susannah is replaced by open sensuality in Titian's painting.
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| Venus of Urbino - Titian (1538) (2) |
Itself an interpretation of the work of Giorgione (1510) Venus of Urbino has been re-interpreted many times by artists like Manet who based Olympia on it in 1863.
In Baroque art figure drawing was seen as the way to learn to draw and academies were set up for the purpose. Rubens set great store by drawing and in some of his paintings he only took responsibility for the "hard" bits like faces and hands because he was so good at it. The Three Graces is a painting everyone knows. There are several versions but the one we know so well is one of his later paintings.
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| The Three Graces - Rubens (1639) (4) |
The painting gives the opportunity for three studies all from different angles and they seems to have a really good relationship with each other. There is no attempt to hide parts of the body that had previously been (sometimes awkwardly) covered.
Interestingly Rubens also painted Susannah and the Elders (1607) but in his version Susannah is being openly threatened and looks afraid.
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| Susannah and the Elders - Rubens (1605) (5) |
As time went on the nude stayed high on the agenda and became more sensual and suggestive. The French Rococo style gave us paintings like Jupiter and Antiope by Watteau.
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| Jupiter and Antiope - Watteau (1714-1719) (6) |
In this painting the sleeping Antiope is clearly the object of Jupiter's lustful gaze - he is even lifting the cover to peer at her more closely. It is very suggestive of the coarse and dark having power over the pale and vulnerable. Society must have changed to allow such a depiction.
At this time there was something of a return to the classical style of the Greek style. Maybe it was some sort of denial about the more explicit nature of other work.
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| Venus, English - Joseph Nollekens (1773) (7) |
In this statue there is much more of a distance between the viewer and the model. There is no obvious story and no emotion.
During the 19th century the nude was painted by many artists but the styles varied considerably. Whilst most nudes were shown modestly La maja denudan by Goya pushed the boundaries into something quite new. The model unapologetically makes eye contact with the viewer and for the first time pubic hair is shown with no negative intention.
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| La maja desnuda - Goya (1800) (8) |
This image upset the Church and titillated the public.
This is the point at which Manet painted Olympia (1863). Remember Titian? This is rather less coy.
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| Olympia - Manet (1863) |
La Sommeil by Courbet (1866) shows two women lying entwined the inference being they have just made love. This really was going too far and the image caused a scandal and became the subject of a police report. It was not permitted to be shown publicly until 1988.
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| La Sommeil by Courbet (1866) (9) |
Undaunted, the same year Courbet painted L'Origine du monde which is a close up view of the genital area and stomach of a woman.
We are steadily moving towards a discussion about the place of sensuality and eroticism in art and more specifically when it becomes pornography. Interestingly the image of a pubescent girl by Munch (Puberty, 1893) is probably more unacceptable today than when it was painted. The voyeur is well provided for with these paintings.
During the 20th century the nude kept pace with the rapid changes that all art confronted. Cezanne, Picasso and Klimt all painted the female nude.
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| Nude Woman in a Red Chair - Picasso (1932) |
Balthus continued the tradition of pushing the boundaries with The Guitar Lesson (1934) which graphically depicted child abuse.
How does all this apply to me I wonder? Over the last few weeks I have become familiar with some contemporary painters who follow the tradition of using nude models. They all owe something to what went before.
Augustus John (1878-1961)
John might not be exactly contemporary but these are very serious drawings and the sorts of studies I have the opportunity to do at my figure drawing group. Sometimes I have to concentrate on proportion and have plenty of time but at other times I have to draw in a fast gestural way.
Ramon Kelley (b 1939)
Kelley is an American/Mexican artist. I aspire to his use of pastel blends in his background. They are exuberant and interesting. However, he uses his pastels very differently in his figure; it is very considered, the tones are more subtle and emphasise the softness of the skin and the roundness of the limbs. Lovely.
John Wonnacott (b 1940)
In this painting the model is being watched through a mirror. We see her with her head turned away yet looking at us as well. The surroundings are a large part of the context and give us a lot of information. They are almost as important as the figure.
Ken Howard (b 1932)
Augustus John (1878-1961)
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| Two Nude Studies - Augustus John (1920-26) (10) |
John might not be exactly contemporary but these are very serious drawings and the sorts of studies I have the opportunity to do at my figure drawing group. Sometimes I have to concentrate on proportion and have plenty of time but at other times I have to draw in a fast gestural way.
Ramon Kelley (b 1939)
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| Ramon Kelley - pastel (11) |
Kelley is an American/Mexican artist. I aspire to his use of pastel blends in his background. They are exuberant and interesting. However, he uses his pastels very differently in his figure; it is very considered, the tones are more subtle and emphasise the softness of the skin and the roundness of the limbs. Lovely.
John Wonnacott (b 1940)
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| Watching the Beautiful Women - John Wonnacott (12) |
In this painting the model is being watched through a mirror. We see her with her head turned away yet looking at us as well. The surroundings are a large part of the context and give us a lot of information. They are almost as important as the figure.
Ken Howard (b 1932)
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| Ken Howard (13) |
Ken Howard is a Cornwall based artist who is renowned for his figure drawing. In this painting we know clearly that the model is in a studio but she is undoubtedly the central point of interest with little distraction from other information.
This has been something of a whistle stop tour of the nude in history. I can see a process of development and then years of regression as society changed. It has been important for me to make the link with my own work but I have some serious questions to ask myself about the art versus pornography/abuse debate.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depictions_of_nudity
(2) http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/genres/female-nudes-art-history.htm
(3) http://www.wikiart.org/en/tintoretto/susanna-and-the-elders
(4) http://www.peterpaulrubens.net/the-three-graces.jsp
(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_and_the_Elders_(Rubens)
(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_and_Antiope_(Watteau)
(7) http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/1157/joseph-nollekens-venus-english-1773/
(8) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_maja_desnuda
(9) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Origine_du_monde
(10) http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/john-two-nude-studies-n05299
(11) http://www.kelleyfamilyfineart.com/Ramon1.htm
(12) http://www.nua.ac.uk/
(13) http://www.redraggallery.co.uk/
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