Research Point: How the depiction of the male and female nude has changed over the centuries
John Berger 'Ways of Seeing...' BBC
John Berger explores the deeper meaning of the placement of a female nude in a painting.
He suggests that women dream of themselves being dreamt of and men dream of women.
He explores the emotions of a woman in terms of her appearance and her psychology surrounding her body. Women meet glances off men, a constant reminder of how they should look. The glance acts like a mirror to a woman. Behind every glance is a judgement and sometimes the glance they meet is their own reflection looking back at them. Those who are who are not "judged" as beautiful by the spectator, simply are not.
Berger believes that a woman is always accompanied, even when alone. She is never far away from the image of herself. She can't avoid thinking of herself and surveying herself. Her appearance is made to be the success of her life. She is a sight to be looked at.
"To be naked, is to be oneself..." Berger states. However to be positioned in a painting naked is to be seen naked by the spectator, and therefore not recognised as oneself. Nudity in art is to where a garment you can't take off, therefore a disguise. Far removed from the female's true self. A nude as to be seen as an object in order to be seen, an art form.
Berger explores the sexual element of a female nude in a painting. Narcissism was discussed in the all female forum. The female is placed showing no energy, dynamics or character - To minimise her sexual power, giving men, both painted within the painting and the male spectator the monopoly. She is to feed an appetite but not to have any of her own.
Examples of nudes in painting:
Titian 'Venus of Urbino' 1538
Here we see Venus presented to us on a bed, her breasts in full view and her stare straight at the spectator seductively.
She is beautiful and her complexion lawless. Her long hair billows down to her breasts invitingly.
She is at peace, the sleeping dog presents a restful and calm environment.
The blooms in her hand are a symbol of love. It's as if Titian has presented this woman as a dream in which she is wishing the viewer to fall in love with her with the promise of her adoration. She is presented as a gift to marry.
Charles Joseph Natoire 'The Rebuke of Adam and Eve' 1740
Here Adam receives the forbidden fruit from Eve. In the sky you see the figure of God surrounded by angels, most noticeable to the viewer is the angel Cupid.
Eve is tearful, lacking of energy, positioned in the painting with her breasts facing forward to ensure they are in full view to the spectator. Adam stands tall with a muscular form. he shows strength. He is pleading with God, Eve of course is depicted without the strength to explain herself, she is weak and Adam is strong.
Here links the biblical story of Adam and Eve to the sexual stereotypes presented in this painting. I can see Berger's views are valid here.
- In Kenneth Clark's book 'The Nude' published in 1956 he writes "to be naked is to be deprived of our clothes" and to be naked on the other hand carries "no uncomfortable overtone". I understand this to mean that a naked female was made to to be perfect, her imperfections erased, prettied and tidied into the perfect example of with the spectator viewed as pretty. In agreement with Berger.
Contemporary Nude paintings:
Vanessa Bell 'Nude' 1922, William Nicholson 'Nude' 1921 and Euan Uglow 'Nude' 1932
What is interesting in these contemporary paintings of the nude is that in each of these examples the nude is looking away from Berger's spectator, the viewer. In a radical contrast there is nothing provocative or sexual about the positioning of the nude. They do not appear beautiful in the sense of the traditional, unrealistic female nudes that Berger examined; but they appear as a beautiful reality of the female form.
They are far removed from Titian's dream, they are real life. The models breasts are of different sizes, their skin tones differ throughout the body, and not the unrealistic porcelain wash of Venus. These women are not objects to be desired, they are examples of a raw and true snapshot of the female body. A true identity and not the disguise Berger explained in traditional European paintings.
In these examples of contemporary nude paintings I am relieved and pleased to see the progression of how the female form is seen and depicted. They are the real deal, the true beauty of women.
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