Naked girl as a picture motif in art - sensual wall art or border crossing

Exactly a century ago, the representation of nudity in art one of the most important scandals in the history of art. This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of an exhibition with paintings by the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani in the Paris Galerie Berthe Weill. The provocative representations of naked body shocked the public in such a way that the police had to intervene.

The hidden truth: nudity in art history - a critical look

Indeed, Modigliani was not the only artist who got into trouble because of his representations of nudity. The Austrian painter Egon Schiele even spent 24 days in prison in 1912, convicted of “immorality” because of his numerous actions. During this time, the bare body became a topic of the challenge and competition. These works were created during the First World War, a time when more women were employed and lived a more independent life - a period of social upheavals and fears.

Egon Schiele presented an intensive and blunt love scene in an impressive way in his painting of 1911, which shows two naked women. This underlines his role as a provocative master of Expressionism . In this presentation, there is no glossing over and instead reveals the raw and emotional side of physical love beyond social norms. At the time, Schiele's revealing art met with rejection and even led to him briefly arrested due to violation of public morality.

It is really interesting to see that 1,069 professional artists were already registered with the British census in 1871, compared to only 278 in 1841. Although a total of 117 women were admitted to the Royal Academy of Arts , the fact of the factor was still taboo.

The story that unfolds between artistic freedom and social taboos is full of contradictions and continues to this day. An example of this is the performance of 100 naked women in the Berlin National Gallery in 2005.

Why nudity polarized in art

The human body in its most natural form has been a polarizing subject for centuries. Although nudity is the most fundamental human characteristic, opinions on this topic are sharply divided. The depiction of naked bodies in art always reflects societal norms and often pushes against cultural boundaries.

Nudity as an expression of beauty and power

The representation of the human body without clothing can be seen as a powerful manifestation of beauty and self -confidence.
In antiquity, the human body was celebrated in all its beauty. The ancient Greeks saw nudity as an expression of divinity and perfect proportions. It is fascinating to learn that ancient male statues with rather small genitals were portrayed, since a large penis was considered a symbol of drive and stupidity at the time.

With the move of Christianity in Europe, there was a significant change in people's thinking. Suddenly the human body was considered sinful, symbolized by the history of Adam and Eve, which after the bite in the apple recognized and was ashamed of it. * .

Different perception depending on gender

It is interesting to observe how nudity is perceived differently depending on gender. Historically speaking, the female body often seen as a symbol of sensuality and eroticism , while the male body was more associated with strength, power and potency. This clear distinction has led to a kind of dualism that contrasts nature and instinctiveness on the one hand and idea and idea and civilization on the other.

It is really remarkable that less than 5% of the artists are represented in the modern museum departments, although 85% of the nude representations are female.

Naked breasts and social double standards

In particular, the female breast polarizes as a symbol of motherhood or as an erotic object, as a symbol of fertility or seduction * . Lovis Corinth setting "Lying Female Act III" (1904) illustrates this dichotomy:

The woman is completely exposed, lolls on a bed, is busty, has lush thighs - and the face doesn't really matter. The breasts are an erotic appeal ”,

Commented a curator in a taz article .

Corinth's portrait painting "Frauengruppe Freundinnen" from 1904 also hits the same notch ...

Exposed youth - naked girls as a picture motif

The oil painting "nude girl" by Corinth from 1886 also focuses on the breasts and the physical femininity of a young girl.

From today's perspective and taking into account the protection of minors, this should be more piquant, especially since at the time of the emergence of this portrait, the age of majority only started at the age of 25. In Württemberg, the age of majority was reduced from 25 to 23 years with the law of June 30, 1865.

The artists Albert de Belleroche , Giuseppe Palanti , Alice Pike Barney, Guillaume Seignac , Baron Pierre Narcisse Guerin and the important post-impressionist Pierre Auguste Renoir created works that had female youth and grace in exposed parishes.

 

A slightly different image statement does the work “Naked Girl with a headscarf” (1910) from August Macke . The Expressionist painted many acts of acts of his wife Elisabeth, whose face and body he presented - influenced by Henri Matisse . He emphasized less the sexual component, but rather the naturalness and purity of his model. Elements such as the headscarf and the reserved attitude are reminiscent of Madonna pictures and give the files a sacred note that was typical of the Macke around 1910/11 and, in contrast to the open erotic works of the "Brücke" artist .

Vincent van Gogh , with his post -impressionist painting "sitting naked girl", not have had a sexual representation of a child in the sense. Rather, it shows an usual everyday situation in which the painter looks like a neutral observer.

"naked girl with outstretched arms" is suitable .

While male nudity is often interpreted as an expression of strength, female breasts are censored on social media. A painting like that of Jean-Baptiste Deshay could

can hardly be shown in today's social media - because of the nipple it would be deleted ”.

This unequal treatment reveals the social double standards in dealing with nudity.

Censorship and control in the course of history

Art history is full of stories about censorship. Both religious and secular powers have been trying to suppress bare bodies in art for ages. These arguments have definitely left their mark.

About church interventions and fig leaves

The censorship of the Roman church was created at the same time as the strengthening of the position of the Roman bishop. Disputes within the Catholic Church, which led to the allegations of heresy and the burning of books, were often an expression of the power struggle for the predominance of the Roman bishop. The fig leaf became a symbol of this censorship.

In the history of the Bible Adam and Eve after they had sinned, their nakedness with fig leaves. This metaphor had a great influence on art over centuries. During the counter -reformation in the 16th century, the fight against nudity was significantly intensified. Pope Clemens VIII even went so far to cover up crucifixes in Roman churches and cover sculptures of Maria Magdalena.

The Michelangelo case and the pants painter

Michelangelo's “Youngest Court” in the Sistine Chapel (world reported * is particularly well known . The masterpiece unveiled in 1541 immediately triggered controversy. Back then, Biagio da Cesena, the Pope's master of ceremonies, criticized that

The many naked bodies that show their shame for such a venerable place as the Papal Chapel are improper. ”

Shortly before Michelangelo's death in 1564, the decree "Pictura in Cappella AP [Ostoli] Ca Coopriatantur" adopted, which provided for overpainting. With this task Daniele da Volterra earned him the mocking nickname "Braghettone" (pants painter) Many overpaintings could be removed during the restoration in the 20th century - but not the covers of the saints, since Volterra had cut off these places and re -freed them on fresh plaster. *

Modern censorship

The censorship of nudity continues to the present. In the 19th century, a real production of fig leaves for antique statues bloomed, supposedly to protect "women and higher daughters" . In 1891, the Reichstag tried to tighten the paragraph about "vigorously writings, illustrations and representations" , so that it should already be punishable "what without being uncasous, the feeling of shame grossly violated" . *

This so -called "Lex Heinze" showed how deeply the prudish was rooted. It was only after the First World War that the fig leaves gradually disappeared from the museums - a process that the Munich Glyptothek documented "The Coward (s) sheet" in 2000

Feminist criticism and new perspectives

The feminist movements have really contributed a lot to how nudity is shown in art. By critically questioning traditional forms of representation, they have opened new perspectives and questioned established standards.

The beauty of the female body from the perspective of a woman

The question of the Guerrilla Girls "Do women have to be naked to get to the Metropolitan Museum?" Is provocative and raises an important topic: less than 5% of the artists are represented in modern museums, although 85% of the nude representations are female. These figures clearly show that female artists are systematically excluded from the collective memory, not because of their absence, but through targeted "forgetting". *

Artists such as Lotte Laserstein , Natalja S. Gonscharowa , Helene Funke , Broncia Koller-Pinell and Suzanne Valadon revolutionized act painting with unadorned women's representations. Her acts were no longer sensual projection surfaces of male painting fantasies, but authentic bodies, as is impressively presented Last Women Art

Her work "The Blue Room" shows a modern woman who is relaxed with a cigarette in the mouth-a counter-design to the sexualized Odaliske motif. *

 

Cynthia "Cindy" Morris Sherman is an American artist and photographer who has been questioning and researching the view of the woman for decades. She became particularly known for her extraordinary series of photos, in which she deals with topics such as identity, role images and physicality in a very creative and profound way.

She slipped into different roles herself, constantly transforming herself in front of the camera – almost as if holding up a mirror to our own societal expectations and self-images. Even though Cindy Sherman didn't directly engage with nude photography, her work has undoubtedly shaped our view of women and our discourse on femininity and cultural attribution.

Matrixial gauze and shared subjectivity

The psychoanalyst Bracha L. Ettinger "Matrixial Gaze" as a counterpart to phallocentric views in the 1990s The matrix (from lat. Matrix, "uterus") acts as a psychological-philosophical construct, with the help of which the origins of human relationality can be discussed. This approach propagates a perception of tolerance and coexistence - the peaceful coexistence of the self and the other.

The art historian Griselda Pollock sees this an alternative to the "presentation of a separate, single subject, which must be defined by clear limits" . This symbolic, female perception is not necessarily bound to a biological gender.

Why naked men are perceived differently

When it comes to the representation of female nudity, a habituation effect can be spoken of, which leads to apparent acceptance. This habituation has so far been missing in the representation of naked men. While the male body embodied the artistic ideal in Greek ancient times and "love among men was the preferred" (Deutschlandfunk * ) , male nudity is subject to stricter rules today.

The naked man is not suitable for advertising if he is positioned as a purely decorative accessory, which is quite common in women. A sporty context, on the other hand, contributes to acceptance, as well as aestheticizing.

The present: between freedom and responsibility

In the area of ​​tension between artistic freedom and ethical responsibility, the representation of nudity in contemporary art moves. The boundaries between art, provocation and abuse are discussed more sharply today than ever.

Sally man and naked children in art

The American photographer Sally Mann international fame in 1992 with her photo book "Immediate Family" The 65 black and white photos show their own children Jessie, Virginia and Emmett, partly undressed, in everyday and staged situations. The melancholic pictures triggered violent controversy. Conservative voices accused men of sexualizing their children and questioned their suitability as a mother (Barnebys reported * ) . According to a contribution by the Karsten Greve gallery, some accused them of child pornography * .

Mann himself argued that nudity was a collective feature of childhood and that she never felt the need to separate her art from parenting. It is noteworthy that their children never distanced themselves from the pictures, but also still posed for their mother later.

Nevertheless, the question remains: When is the representation of naked children art and when does it cross borders? "

#Metoo and hanging up pictures

The #MeToo movement also shook the power structure of the art world. The British art magazine "ArtReview" "Power 100" art ranking in 2017. The movement changed the climate in which curators are selected, prizes are awarded, and exhibitions are conceived (as reported by the Tagesspiegel * ).

As a result, several prominent figures of the art scene had to withdraw: Artforum co-editor Knight Landesman, Armory Show Director Benjamin Genocchio and the curator Jens Hoffmann were all excluded due to allegations of harassment. In addition, #metoo sparked a debate in many museums about which art can still be shown.

Is nudity still a taboo today?

While nudity appears ubiquitous in art, it is still subject to complex rules. There is a real “nipple craze” on social media - especially female nipples are censored. At the same time, AI chatbots are canceled when entering terms such as "Erotica".

However, the following applies:

Art is free. You can discuss this whether a work of art is tasteless or not. But you can't practice censorship ”.

The main curator of the Berlin art gallery C/O argues that museums should act as protected rooms in which public discussions about nudity are possible.

Nudity in performances and museums

Performance art often uses nudity as a means of questioning societal norms. As early as the 1960s and 1970s, Marina Abramović a mirror up to society with her "Body Art." "Balkan Erotic Epic" (2006), she explored the use of sexuality in pagan traditions of the Balkans.

The performance artist Vanessa Beecroft, , is also an artists who are often controversial; Her artistic work acts as a medium that is occasionally misunderstood and is often suspended. Beecroft is undoubtedly one of the outstanding personalities of the international art world. Since 1993 she has been devoting herself intensively to the topic of female observation and self -reflection .

To date, BEECROFT has presented selected, mostly undressed models in over 50 different locations, which are neither allowed to speak nor will move strongly during the performances. Her performances, photographs and videos are characterized by a meditative silence in which the women depicted remain, which is reminiscent of ritual actions.

Furthermore, the Austrian media and performance artist Valie export in this field. She provoked with her body (so -called body performances) and, with her art, gave a view of the oppression of the woman.

However, the question remains when nudity in performance art is still powerful statement and when it is deported to the mere scandal value. The art magazine Monopol noted * :

The border crossing 'undressed in public' creates a scandal value that covers the artistic value ”.

What is to be said ...

It is enlightening to see how the treatment of the naked body always reflects the values ​​and morals of a particular era. In antiquity, male nudity was highly valued, while later art focused primarily on the female body as an object of male contemplation.

One striking discrepancy is particularly noticeable here: although 85% of the depicted nudes are female, less than 5% of the exhibited artworks are by women. This inequality clearly demonstrates that art history is not neutral, but rather reflects societal power structures.

The history of censorship also shows how strongly the ambiguous attitude towards nudity is rooted in our culture. From covering up with fig leaves in the Renaissance to the extinguishing of images on social media - control over the representation of naked body remains a controversial topic. However, the discourse has changed: In the past, it was primarily religious authorities that set the limits, while today ethical considerations and questions for consent and dignity shape the debate.

It is clear that feminist views have opened up new perspectives and questioned conventional display methods. Artists like Suzanne Valadon have created alternative representations of the female act and thus challenged the prevailing male -shaped art scene.

Despite all liberalization, the representation of nudity is still subject to complex rules. The apparent acceptance mainly applies to female bodies, while male nudity is still taboos. At the same time, social media become new censorship instances that regulate particularly female bodies. ”

Ultimately, art remains a place where social taboos can be negotiated. Museums and galleries offer protected rooms for these necessary discussions. The question of when nudity art and when it is provocation must answer every generation - an ongoing dialogue between artistic vision, social values ​​and individual perception.