Emma Pirrie

EMMA PIRRIE

A Critical Comparison of the Female Nude from 15th Century to Contemporary Oil Paintings

May 2025

Fine Art BA Hons

DOI 10.20933/100001379

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A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Fine Art.

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Abstract

This dissertation investigates the female nude from a post digital perspective. Conducting an in-depth analysis of historical oil paintings from as early as the 15th century up until modern and contemporary oil paintings. Each chapter focuses on two to three artists, spanning over this time period.

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the female nude throughout art history by looking into its origins within the medium of oil painting and the influences that came before it. It aims to discuss the diverse ways in which the female nude has been depicted within contemporary oil paintings in comparison oil paintings throughout art history and how these different representations and connotations implied upon the female nude affected how we view the nude female body within art and daily life. It will also explore how contemporary art has also potentially uprooted these ideas and changed both these factors within a contemporary world.

The first chapter focuses on the first known depiction of the female nude within an oil painting (Botticelli, 1485) discussing the historical art influences behind this piece and many other depictions that came after it of the same goddess. It then goes on to discuss a contemporary artist (Saville, 1970) who is known for her paintings of the female nude and motherhood, discussing how she is challenging these historical representations of the nude within her art. The first chapter looks at the expectations placed on the female nude and its connotations. The second chapter goes on to similarly compare a historical artist Édouard Manet (1832) with modern expressionist artist Egon Schiele (1890) and contemporary artist Natalia Fabia (1983). The second chapter focuses on an analysis of the imbalances between genders and the religious history behind art which has deeply influenced the basis of the

nude. The third chapter goes on to focus on the 19th century painter Gustave Courbet and contemporary painter Grigorii Pavlychev (1986), this chapter discusses how artists have given the female nude a sense of identity and autonomy, the significance of body hair in historical paintings and when it is appropriate to portray an unrealistic representation of the female nude. Finally, this dissertation concludes with a reflection on the research culminated on the subject of female nude and how it has changed within a contemporary art world in comparison to the 15th century.

1.1.

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (1485)

Tempera on canvas, 172.5 x 278.5 cm,

Image courtesy of the Uffizi galleries Florence, Italy.

1.2.

Jenny Saville, Propped (1992)

Oil paint, 213.4 x 182.9 cm,

Image courtesy of Gagosian, Switzerland.

2.1.

Egon Schiele, Female nude (1910)

Gouache, watercolour and black chalk, 44.3 x 30.6 cm

Image courtesy of Artchive online gallery.

2.2.

Édouard Manet, The Luncheon on The Grass (1863)

Oil paint, 208 x 264.5 cm,

Image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

2.3.

Édouard Manet, Olympia (1863)

Oil on canvas, 130.5 x 190 cm,

Image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

12

15

18

20

21

Natalia Fabia, Joey (2016)

Oil on panel, 30.48 x 40.64 cm,

Image courtesy of Natalia Fabia.

3.1.

Gustave Courbet, L'Origine du monde (1866)

Oil paint, 46.3 x 55.4 cm,

Image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

3.2.

Gustave Courbet, The woman in the waves (1868)

Oil on canvas, 65.4 x 54 cm,

Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

3.3. 28

Grigorii Pavlychev, Female nude on the sofa (2022)

Oil on canvas, 150 x 120cm,

Image courtesy of Saatchi art.

Introduction

Throughout my research a common point that was raised within many discussions in literature of the female nude, was referred to the idea of ‘The Naked and the Nude’ (Clark, 1987), the belief of two different meanings for the nude body vs for a person to be naked. This statement takes the act of objectifying the female nude and separates it from the human emotions that are connected to its form. This places the context on the observer, leaving it at their digression as to how the body is perceived, stating that no matter the artists’ intentions the viewers’ objections will always come first. ‘The destruction of every voice, of every point of origin.’ (Barthes, 1967), Barthes states that there is no way for the viewer to know whether what they are viewing is an expression of the author themselves or that of the subject it is depicting. This again further strengthens the fact that this decision is left for the viewer to decide, the author or artist’s intentions being left behind.

Although this is partially true, we as artists cannot wholly control how the viewers perceive an artwork, the artist’s intentions will still be represented within the piece and guide the viewer subconsciously, whether that be from colours, subject matter, perspective or many other factors. This art theory loosely states that to be naked is to be in a state of vulnerability whereas to be nude is simply a state of undress. Although the lines between being naked vs nude are blurred where it relates to the female body, with the body being so widely objectified that it becomes impossible to separate the female figure from its erotic symbolisms.

Firstly, there are the artists’ intentions, secondly, we have the viewer’s perception, lastly there is the history of gender stereotypes and prejudice which underpins and subconsciously sways the viewer's perspective of the artwork. ‘The model was nude,

because of a complex set of agreements between the model, the classroom and the society.’ (Bostrom and Malik, 1999). Context changes the circumstances, no matter the artist’s intentions, history will always exist therefore forcing past implications onto the intended meaning of an artwork. Although in some cases this may work in the artist’s favour, it becomes a challenge when the intentions are to uproot these ideals and change a collective way of thinking. These past implications are so deeply rooted in today’s society that they force their way into the viewer’s analysis, meaning we as artists must try much harder to dismantle and forgo them. As well as historical ideas playing a role in the perceived meaning of an artwork, the current political and social economics will affect the meaning that a viewer picks out of a piece, their thoughts naturally being swayed by the goings on in the world around them ‘The voice loses its origin, the author enters into his own death’ (Barthes, 1967) Barthes states that once a piece of writing is in the public hands, or in this case an artwork, the artist or writer no longer has control over the meanings behind the piece and whether their intentions become swayed or changed by the consumers.

Even the connotations we use while speaking of the female body compared to that of the male body show the prejudices and sexism against the former. ‘How ‘fallen’ in the masculine means killed in war, and in the feminine given over to a particular kind of vice.’ (Nochlin, 2018) When referring to the masculine we often consider connotations of strength and power whereas the feminine often has connotations of soft, fragile, and subordinate ‘External barriers and discrimination have held back women artists in particular’ (Cowen, 1996) Cowen discusses in her writing how these negative connotations and prejudices against women have held them back within the art world, resulting in women artists having to exert more energy to get access to the same opportunities as men. The feminine is also often synonymous with sex and desire, when something is feminine it is sultry and inviting.

The nude has become interchangeable with the female nude due to its relationship with femininity ‘nakedness connotes passivity, vulnerability; it is powerless and anonymous’ (Nunn, 2015). These are all negative stereotypes of femininity making the two synonymous. These stereotypes are often used within paintings to highlight the male protagonist’s power and status, by surrounding him women who are most commonly nude or in a state of undress for example the painting ‘Perseus freeing andromeda’ by Peter Paul Rubens (16201622) and ‘Diana and Actaeon’ by Titian (1556-1559). This highlights them as being vulnerable and completely under the male figures’ protection by visibly taking away any barrier or shield that they have towards the audience.

Many writers have spoken about the female nude as a concept rather than a physical thing, McDonald (2001) and Pollock (1988) both similarly discuss the idea of the nude body in art being used as a symbol rather than a true representational form or ideal. ‘An ideal is a concept not a thing’ (Pollock,1988). This takes away any responsibility from the artist, allowing them to distort the figure and create an exaggerated and false illustration of the entire sex that it represents without having to accept any of the effects and repercussions it has on societal norms and standards. This mentality has a much larger impact in today’s generation with the rise of social media and influencers. Social figures are left to use and display their bodies in any way they wish with very little restrictions from the social platforms they are published on. (X and Tumblr particularly) For example Tumblr’s guidelines state that ‘visual depictions of sexually explicit acts are not allowed’ (Tumblr, 2024) on their platform yet within the same subheading goes on to say that ‘Nudity and other kinds of adult material are generally welcome’ (Tumblr, 2024) leaving the breadth to what is not banned by the company wide and vague.

Although many social figures who post their body, do so as a form of empowerment and expression, taking back control and authority over their own bodies. The viewers are then left to take these images; to view and use in any way they wish regardless of the creators wishes. With many people's images being taken off their social media and used to sell products, clothing and even create fake accounts without the owner's knowledge or permission. I personally fell victim to this when I came across my own pictures being used to sell a dress via Pinterest, and secondly when an Instagram account used photos of myself under a fake name. Similarly, an independent dressmaker's design and photos were stolen by the online marketplace Temu to sell an imitation of her design at a fraction of the price without her knowledge or permission (Brady, 2024).

Chapter 1 – Sandro Botticelli and

Jenny Saville

Figure 1.1. Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus (1485) Tempera on canvas, 172.5 x 278.5 cm, image courtesy of the Uffizi galleries Florence, Italy.

Sandro Botticelli (1445) was one of the first known artists to create an oil painting of the female nude without any known religious reasoning – ‘The Birth of Venus’ by Botticelli (1485) This piece depicts Venus the Roman goddess of love, fertility, desire, sex and victory. Venus is said to have been born from the sea foam, already in her full adult form which Botticelli is referencing within this painting. In this piece Venus is depicted partially censoring herself to the viewer, introducing the sense that we should not be able to see her in such a vulnerable state, yet we are still being allowed to look, with one of her breasts being left uncovered. This painting introduces the conflicting pressures often placed on the female body and on women, with the expectation of the female figure to be placed on display for the pleasure of the male gaze while simultaneously appearing like it doesn't wish to be seen

‘Women in the picture’ states that “female virtue is rewarded when it is bravely guarded, and that threatening male behaviour is tolerated. They celebrated that being the focus of male sexual desire is an honour (if you are Leda) unless it sullies the patriarchal bonds of honour.’ (McCormack, 2021) This again discusses the point that women are expected to celebrate being objectified by men yet simultaneously protect and shield their bodies from those same men. This notion has been a constant through history up until the modern day, with women being shunned for taking power and control over their own bodies while men use the same content for their own pleasure and enjoyment and even becoming outraged when this content is taken away from them by the same women they villainised.

During the time the female nude was often used to portray sin and shame, whereas in Botticelli's piece he celebrates the female form through his depiction of Venus, placing her front and centre of the artwork. Venus is depicted with a strong unbothered gaze, looking back out towards the viewer, confronting the viewer and giving power back to the nude figure on display. Botticelli switched how nudity was being used at the time, showing that the human body is not shameful and that it was not a sinful action to put a nude figure on display.

Many early female nudes are commonly depictions of Venus with one of the earliest known female nudes the ‘Aphrodite of Knidos’ (Praxiteles of Athens, 4th century BC) although this piece no longer exists there have been many roman recreations of this piece such as the ‘Venus de Milo’ (Alexandros of Antioch, 2nd century BC) being a marble statue of Venus, who in Roman Mythology is Aphrodite’s counterpart or equivalent. She is depicted holding a towel or cloth, her other hand loosely covering her genitals. It seems we as the viewer have stumbled upon a private moment, in Greek mythology such an intrusion would

have been rewarded with a harsh punishment, yet we are safe to gaze at her while she seems unaware of our presence This ability to gaze without repercussion gives the viewer a sense of power over the body, the fact that female nudes originated from depictions of women in power has potentially taken away from their positions as equals to their male counterparts. As we see them in a state of undress where they are potentially in a weaker position, we begin to associate the female nude with that ideal. This piece was also deeply eroticised due to the belief that it was based on the artist’s mistress which would have created a sexualised view of the piece within the public's eye, due to their belief of the artists own sexual feelings about the subject depicted. Both these depictions of the goddess stand in similar poses with one knee awkwardly bent while leaning of to the side, the pose in Botticelli's depiction of Venus seems especially unrealistic with her weight falling off to the side of the one foot which she has on the ground. Both of these depictions of Venus have very similarly sculpted bodies, each with smooth filtered skin, many early depictions of the female nude are thought to be inspired by the Venus de milo. This inspiration is apparent in the body shapes depicted and the way they are painted with a finish alike to the marble sculptures.

Many female contemporary artists have been trying to change the views that people have on the female nude through their art, by changing dynamics and the presentation of the figure within their paintings. Therefore, encouraging us to view the body in a different light and question our relationship and dynamics in relation to it. Jenny Saville (1970) is one of the most well-known female artists working in this realm. She is known for her towering artworks of the female figure, unfiltered pieces showing realistic bodies with all their marks and bruises that are often left out of media. These pieces confront the viewer and allow them to focus on the beauty and intricacies of the female form by blowing them up onto a

much larger scale. Her layered approach she is using within her pieces also invoke a sense of movement, layering and overlaying the bodies and layers of media, allowing them to be seen as a moving figure which gives the figures a much more prominent sense of identity, allowing them to be viewed as a potentially real person rather than a muse or a still image to be objectified. Saville's work is often painted from wide and low angles, enhancing the already exaggerated proportions of the bodies depicted. Her pieces allow the body to confront the viewer, her prominent brushstrokes and harsh transitions between colours, depict the body with all its bruises, marks and lumps contradicting the smooth blank figures painted throughout history.

Figure 1.2. Jenny Saville, Propped (1992) Oil on Canvas, 213.4 x 182.9 cm, Image courtesy of Gagosian, Switzerland.

This can particularly be seen in her painting Propped (Saville, 1992) the subjects' knees are placed in the foreground, the angle making them seem even more oversized and painted with shades of reds and blues. This painting is very unlike the historical depictions we are used to seeing, the most well-known depictions of the female nude being the marble sculptures of Venus, which later influenced the nudes depicted in oil paintings.

Historical artworks often use the depictions of the female nude for aesthetic or thematic reasons, consistently omitting the female genitalia from these pieces. This exclusion undermines the importance of a women’s agency over her own body. Venus can be seen covering her pubic hair with the hair from her head in Botticelli’s depiction of the goddess, another figure holds a fabric ready to conceal the goddess, although this falls flat as there is no urgency from either figure to conceal the nude figure. This piece has become an aesthetic ideal of the female body, and this is partially due to the concealment of anything that could be seen as undesirable to others. Unlike Botticelli’s depiction Jenny Saville places the figure on display, genitalia and pubic hair on show, her paintings of the female nude help to discourage any shame that has become associated with a natural body

There is nothing omitted from her pieces for aesthetic purposes or inclusions of unnatural poses to display the body in a palatable way.

This one piece in particular, Propped (Saville, 1992) depicts the artists herself sitting on a high stool peering down into a large mirror. On the mirror Saville has written a quote from feminist writer Luce Irigaray ‘If we continue to speak in this sameness, speak as men have spoken for centuries, we will fail each other. Again, words will pass through our bodies, above our heads, disappear, make us disappear’ (Irigaray, 1980) Saville paints from the perspective of a fisheye lens creating exaggerated foreshortening further taking the body

out of traditional ideals of beauty and femininity. Saville challenges the typical depictions of women within western art history by depicting a larger woman with a bruised and flawed complexion, she dismantles the traditional thin, toned and unattainable ideals that have been created for most women that we see throughout art history by exaggerating her own body towards the opposite end of the spectrum, highlighting her flaws to place emphasis on its raw and natural realness.

Chapter 2 – Egon Schiele, Édouard Manet and

Natalia Fabia

Figure 2.1. Egon Schiele, Female nude (1910) Gouache, watercolour and black chalk, 44.3 x 30.6 cm, Image courtesy of Artchive online gallery.

Twentieth century artist Egon Schiele (1890) portrayed both the female and male nude throughout his many artworks. There is a sense of fluidity between all of these pieces, with each gender being depicted similarly in an artistic sense with the binaries of gender even becoming blurred throughout several of his artworks. Schiele's style has been criticised for being grotesque and corpse like. ‘Grotesque means of depicting his subjects’ (Felton, 2015) His artworks help to create a much less glamourised depiction of human flesh. While his work shows a much more realistic version of the human body compared to that of the smooth porcelain depictions we often see such as ‘Lot and his daughters’ (Furini, 1603-1646) yet they still contain an illustrative quality unalike to real life. his work is also almost always of a sexual nature, this mesh of the erotic and grotesque helps to remove the sexualisation

of the female nude from the pieces allowing us to focus on the body itself and the intricates and beauty within it. Although perhaps this combination is simply a depiction of his own desires. Schiele's nudes are often depicted in a sexual manner, commonly with their legs spread open confronting the viewer with their body. Schiele’s female nudes are not depicted as a passive body but one with a clear physical identity, often staring directly at the viewer. This can be seen in one of his most notable drawings (Schiele, 1910) the women depicted is painted laying back with her legs open, our line of sight being drawn up her body toward her face where her eyes stare back at us, her expression bored and uncaring. By making the subject confront the viewer it helps to give the pieces a persona and identity, limiting the viewer’s objectification of the subject presented due to their inability to objectify it.

Egon Schiele's nudes are placed on a blank canvas, with no surrounding context or backgrounds forcing the viewer to be confronted with the nude body placed before them, this composition choice removes any stigma in relation to the subject’s nudity by highlighting that we are meant to be looking at them, Schiele wants us to look at the person as a whole and not just in relation to their surroundings. This is vastly different from most historical depictions of the nude, often surrounded by multiple other men or women with detailed scenes in the background and foregrounds. Within these pieces nudity was used to show the subject’s vulnerability or to highlight another's power in relation to the vulnerability of the nude women surrounding them Historically art was mainly used for religious purposes, with the nude representing something sinful. Nudity was used to represent the imperfections of man, with many representations of the nude in churches alluding to the underworld, the most notable connection between sin and nudity within the church is that of Adam and Eve. We can see in an early depiction of Adam and Eve, the two figures being led from Eden after their banishment (Masaccio, 1425) Adam covers his face

in shame whereas eve is depicted hiding her nudity instead. This shows how as early as the fifteenth century, the expectations and imbalances between genders were already present. Schiele paints the female nude and male nude equally, both in very similar styles and contexts. His pieces seem to omit his own sexual desires in relation to the nude body whether this attraction is prevalent in both genders or one, they are still depicted equally.

Figure 2.2. Édouard Manet, The Luncheon on The Grass (1863) Oil paint, 208 x 264.5 cm, Image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Manet’s controversial painting ‘The Luncheon on The Grass’ (Manet, 1863) took this practice out with of religion and mythology and placed it in a mundane setting. Two men are depicted in suits having a picnic with a fully nude woman, showing no obvious or particular reason for her nudity. Female nudity was historically used to highlight the male counterpart's power, the men placed in suits puts this concept into a modern perspective for the time period. Depicting the nude woman as a modern-day Parisian is what made this painting so risqué, it places the nude up close depicting her as someone any one of us could

potential meet rather than a biblical or mythological form that we look to only as a symbol. This painting was exhibited at Salon des Refusés, which translates to “Exhibition of Rejects” after being rejected from Paris’ Gallery in 1863 due to its modernity (Renauld, 2021). The nude woman in this painting looks directly at the viewer, although her gaze does not appear to be confrontational. It is a knowing look; she knows that we (the viewer) are looking at her. This further adds to the uncomfortable feeling that the setting evokes, while we question why she is sitting there stark-naked she questions why we are watching. This painting shocked the public at the time, although the nude figure was commonly used though artworks during the time period, they were not used to it being placed in such a modern context. The women's carelessness and the men at her side, showing sexual connotations within the scene as well as the lack of mythological story or undertones is what made the piece so scandalous.

Figure 2.3. Édouard Manet, Olympia (1863) Oil on canvas, 130.5 x 190 cm, Image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Manet wanted to paint the reality of his time, he has depicted a woman called Olympia, a female prostitute, not a Greek goddess or nymph In this piece Manet has painted the nude body without trying to glamorise it, although during the mid-19th century this style of subject was not widely accepted. The nude was only accepted when placed within a mythological or religious setting, which Manets painting was not. The women in this piece gazes directly at the viewer with a look of impassiveness. Olympia contradicts the ways in which the female nude was depicted during the time, where women look startled or surprised as if someone has walked in on them. Olympia confidently shows of her body, voluntarily showing herself naked. ‘Olympia's scandalous modernity, I argue, is due to its simultaneous activation and exposure of the dynamics of the production of woman as fetish object in patriarchal consumer society.’ (Bernheimer, 1989) Here Bernheimer argues that the shock and scandal created by this piece was not due to the subject itself but rather due to the viewers own realisation of their own sexualised view of the female nude. The scandal comes from these ideals being put on show for everyone to see.

Historically the female nude has been painted for aesthetic purposes and the visual pleasure of a male audience, this painting confronts the male ideals of domination and power by giving the control back to Olympia. This painting has been widely critiqued by journalists for her pale and death like complexion ‘the body's putrefying colour recalls the horror of the morgue’ (Clark, 1985) The flesh tones used in this piece is not dissimilar to that of Botticelli's where they both lack a large visual difference in tones, although Olympia appears to have a much cooler realistic skin tone compared to that of Venus’ unrealistic bright warm complexion.

Olympia can be seen lying horizontally with her upper body raised slightly higher but not quite in a seated position. This pose is not uncommon within the subject of the female nude and can be seen within many other historical oil paintings such as the ‘Venus of Urbino’ by Titian (1534), ‘Sleeping Venus’ by Giorgione (1508 – 1510) and ‘Venus in a landscape’ by Jacopo Palma il Vecchio (1480–1528).

Similarly to manet contemporary artist Natalia Fabia’s (1983) Oil paintings capture a full scene with backgrounds which help to create a personality for the subject depicted unlike Egon Schiele's nudes where the backgrounds are left bare. Where Schiele’s lack of backgrounds helps to remove the stigma around looking at a naked body, Fabia’s detailed backgrounds create a story around the subject helping to make the viewer consider them as more than just a body to be looked at.

Figure 2.4. Grigorii Pavlychev, Female nude on the sofa (2022) Oil on canvas, 150 x 120cm, Image courtesy of Saatchi art.

Although this piece does not include a full body nude it tells a story none the less (Fabia, 2016). This painting depicts a woman from the waist up looking off to one side of the painting, unlike Fabia’s other paintings the background is a flat black expanse. Although the lack of background takes away the world building effect many of her other paintings have, the inclusion of the models tattoo on her shoulder gives her a much larger sense of identity and autonomy over her body than other similar depictions of nudes. Many of her paintings include the models tattoos as well as unique hairstyles and Jewellery Manets Olympia also includes the models' shoes, bracelet and necklace, which help to add to our understanding of the person who is depicted. These pieces both painted accessories on the body which is a potential reason for the outrage associated with Manet’s piece, by giving the body an identity people could no longer look at the nude body as a metaphor and were forced to consider the real person and identity depicted. During the 1860s Manet’s portrayal of a real woman’s naked body would have been very uncommon due to its lack of metaphorical or religious basis attached to the body, he depicts the nude body for who they are rather than a metaphorical vessel to convey meanings and symbolisms to the viewer.

Chapter 3 – Gustave Courbet and

Grigorii Pavlychev

Figure 3.1. Gustave Courbet, L'Origine du monde (1866) Oil paint, 46.3 x 55.4 cm, Image courtesy of Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

Gustave Courbet's painting ‘L'Origine du monde’ (Courbet, 1866) which translates to ‘The origin of the word’ stands today as one of the most provocative pieces of the nineteenth century, he portrayed the female nude within this piece without any religious or moral narrative The subjects lack of limbs or head enhances the sexual nature of the piece by taking away any human autonomy from the artwork turning the figure into an object. There is no attempt to disguise the erotic nature of the piece behind any form of mythology and therefore the sexual theme of the piece is shamelessly presented to the viewer. The painting was often hung behind screens and curtains by many of its owners and only shown to select guest ‘Khalil Bey, kept the work in a back room behind a curtain, displaying it for the delectation of choice dinner guests.’ (Weinfeld, 2008). This secrecy associated with the piece

added with the drama created by the unveiling of it creates an idea that the piece should not be in the public eye, further adding to the provocative nature of the piece. Courbet excluded the subject’s face and limbs from the piece and left out any form of identifiers from the background of the artwork. Although these have been removed and there is no obvious connection to who the depicted body is, there is still a sense of identity present within the piece. This can be seen within the inclusion of body hair and the details and colours painted within the flesh. During the time period the artwork was created, these details would have allowed the viewer to come to their own conclusions about the subject depicted due to the different societal standards dependant on the person’s money and background. Although the piece has been seen as sexually suggestive by many, there is no narrative to the piece. It is simply a part of a woman's body, the erotic element is simply what the viewer has gained from the depiction due to their own sexual desires. This could partially be due to Courbet's rendition of flesh, compared to the smooth perfect depictions of skin that was common for the time. Courbet’s work includes shades of blue and pink suggesting the existence of flowing blood and veins giving life to the body which helps to portray the body as a soul and living identity. The painting is painted in a very traditional manner with the inclusion of white fabric in the background and the figure shown laying down, although the painting seems to be making a statement about the women's body rather than just depicting her for personal gratification or as an artistic challenge or study. This is suggested by the close zoomed in crop of the artwork, which potentially shows the decision making of the artist to exclude certain areas of the body and zone in on others.

Figure 3.2. Gustave Courbet, the Woman in the Waves (1868) Oil on canvas, 65.4 x 54 cm, Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Courbet depicts Venus, the goddess born from the sea although his subject is common throughout traditional depictions of the female nude, his approach to the subject is dissimilar (Courbet, 1868). She is depicted with underarm hair which was commonly covered or omitted within oil paintings due to its animalistic connotations which would have been seen as unpleasant for men at the time, contradicting their submissive docile expectations of women. Her chest has been painted in great detail creating a much more realistic representation compared to the smooth flesh depicted within Botticelli's depiction of the goddess. This gives Courbet's piece a much more lifelike look in comparison due to his use of pink and blue tones within the skin giving the body a sense of life and realism similar to Olympia, that Botticelli's depiction doesn't have. Venus has been captured in a candid pose with her arms above her head, her face seems to be of enjoyment or content unlike the

shocked faces of nudes who seem to have been walking in on or visually try to conceal themselves.

Grigorii Pavlychev (1986) is an expressionist painter working with the female nude. His paintings combine movement and colour with the still female forms. He often obscures the figure’s face from the viewer as if the subject is hiding from the chaos surrounding them.

Figure 3.3. Grigorii Pavlychev, Female nude on the sofa (2022) Oil on canvas, 150 x 120cm, Image courtesy of Saatchi art. His piece ‘Female nude on the Sofa’ (Pavlychev, 2022) Inspired by Juan Manuel Blanes artwork ‘Demon, world and flesh’ (Blanes, 1886) depicts a woman reclining with her back to the viewer, hands stretched out shielding or hiding her face. He creates an obvious sense of movement through his large brushstrokes which capture the movement and energy he exerted to make them within the piece itself. Whereas the colour in Courbet's work brings life into the piece, Pavlychev’s inclusion of colour takes away from the realism of the

figure, his skin tones are almost grey tinted and the rich colours he includes are too saturated to resemble any form of realism.

Although we are unable to connect with the figure from the standpoint that they are a real identity depicted in front of us, his style of painting creates a great sense of movement and narrative within his pieces while removing any form of erotism which was associated with Blane’s original artwork. All of Pavlychev’s artworks mange to evoke this strong sense of narrative within the pieces which allow the viewer to connect with the subject on an emotional level rather than personal, as their curiosity is triggered and we’re encouraged to ponder what the subject is experiencing and thinking rather than pondering our own relationship and desires in relation to the subject’s body.

Pavlychev’s figures seem to be getting attacked by the colours and brushstrokes themselves, this helps to take the viewer out of the piece and consider the painting for its entirety and what it is rather than getting absorbed in their own desire. He also often obscures the women’s breasts and genitalia amongst the chaos of his paintings, although its apparent that these areas have not been excluded as an act of shame or for aesthetic purposes but rather to exclude the viewers desire from the piece. This act highlights how sexualised the female body is due to his apparent need to censor the bodies in order to make his own themes more apparent.

Pavlychev works within the expressionist movement, therefor his female nudes become an expression of emotions and movement which allows the viewer to look at his paintings and experience the emotions within them rather than becoming focused on the details and intricacies of the female body presented in front of them. Also, often when we focus on the details of the female nude it helps the viewer to understand that the body

depicted is a real person, in Pavlychev’s case his lack of focus on the finer details of the body takes away from its realism. Instead of being a true representation of a person the female nude becomes a metaphor for his own emotions, we look at this painting as an expression rather than a true representational form. So, when does it become acceptable for the artist to paint an unrealistic depiction of a body? When an artist takes liberty's and alters the female form within the realism style it becomes hard for the viewer to separate this unnatural ideal from real life. Whereas when a style such as expressionism is used the viewer is already subconsciously aware that anything depicted is not a true representation of what it looks like, creating a boundary between the two in their subconscious. Therefore, it is acceptable to alter to female nude in unnatural manners if these changes are not for aesthetic reason to make the body look for pleasing for a viewer and it is obvious to the viewer what they are viewing is contorted by the artist

Conclusion

This dissertation set out to explore the female nude within oil paintings, although this cannot be explored before first looking at the Greek and Roman marble statues of mythological goddesses which came before. These statues can be seen influencing art throughout history but specifically during the renaissance period where artists were heavily inspired by mythology and religion. The female nude has been historically used within religious paintings to portray sin and shame, along with influence from negative gender stereotypes aimed towards women the female nude has come to represent weakness and submission whereas the male nude often portrays strength Stereotypes commonly place women as the weaker gender with their expected roles being to give birth and continue the male counterpart's bloodline. These ideals often underpin depictions of the female nude whether the artist intends them to or not, this is due to them being so prevalent throughout history it becomes a subconscious act for the viewer to consider these factors in relation to the artwork they are viewing. Once a painting has left the artist's studio, they no longer have control over the meaning that artwork is meant to convey, the viewer is then left to decide for themselves what that painting was aiming to represent (Barthes, 1967). The period a piece was created can also change the meaning that is taken from a piece; the viewers own relationship with the nude body changing how they perceive the intended meaning. ‘The Naked vs The Nude’ (Clark, 1987) underpins most of the research into the female nude, splitting it into two. The nude a state of undress whereas the naked is to be vulnerable. Through my research I've created a further understanding of this concept, the nude was widely accepted within historical artworks as the body was not seen as a person, it was instead used as a metaphorical object and symbol to convey ideas and story's within a painting, whereas where the female nude depicted could also be considered ‘naked’ in

terms of Clarks’ theory the body held a sense of identity and could be seen as a soul outside of the painting. This boundary is often where the nude became risqué within the public eye, when looking at the subject from a historical viewpoint. This sense of identity that the nude can convey is done by an inclusion of personal signifiers that tell us minute details about the person's life or personality that is depicted. We see these within the inclusion of jewellery, tattoos, hairstyles, body hair and even the setting and surroundings of the nude itself. There are also other conflicting pressures placed on women's bodies which can be seen within depictions of the female nude. The pressures placed to put the female nude on display to appeal to a male gaze, yet the body must appear to not know it's being looked at or attempting to conceal itself. This is commonly done by the inclusion of drapery loosely placed over the body, careful to not show anything that could be seen as unpleasing.

The female nude has historically been used to portray an ideal form of beauty, the body's depicted with a very slim yet rounded build, with smooth filtered skin. Contemporary artists have been challenging this ideal by painting larger and different shaped bodies, with detailed flesh and lifelike tones unsimilar to those depicted throughout history. These contemporary female nudes have been painted in a multitude of styles, placing the bodies in natural and at times unflattering poses which help to alter this false ideal that has been created.

Although the female nude will never be able to separate itself from its own history, we as artists can continue to challenge its repeated sexualisation, by placing the body within new contexts out with of the male gaze. With women artists having a place within the contemporary artworld, we are able to gain a much stronger understanding of the female nude due to the much wider accessibility for woman artists to create Therefore, the public

gains access to a much larger number of artworks created by women who are creating representations of their own bodies out with the male gaze. The gaps between what is and is not represented constantly becoming smaller as time passes and more artists aim to create the representation that they never had. Through these representations of real women painting real women's bodies, the female nude has become a much wider topic when it comes to the variety presented towards us. Through women visualising their own bodies within art, we can begin to appreciate them for the same beauty they are painted with, empowering every woman within their own unique bodies.

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