The figure

the (nude) figure in art

Elliot ErwittThe-Painting-Studio, 2009

Venus of Willendorf

the nude has been around for some time. this figure has recently been determined by anthropologists to be not a fertility symbol, but very early pornography

Terracotta figure, Columbia, ca. 600-1200 AD

Greek figure

Aphrodite, Greece

HerculesCapitoline MuseumRome, Italy

Two Witches, 1523Hans Baldung Grien

Benvenuto CelliniSaliera (salt cellar)1543

Cain Killing Abel, c. 1589Jan Harmensz Muller

Lucas Cranach, the ElderNymph at the Fountain1518

GiorgioneSleeping Venus

1510

Titian, Venus of Urbino , 1538

Diego VelásquezThe Rokeby Venus, aka The Toilet of Venus1647 - 1651

Francisco GoyaThe Nude Maya

1800

Francisco GoyaThe Clothed Maya1800

Nikolaj AbildgaardNightmare

1800

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, La Grande Odalisque, 1814

An odalisque (Turkish: Odalık) was a female slave in an Ottoman seraglio. She was an assistant or apprentice to the concubines and wives, and she might rise in status to become one of them.

Jean Auguste Dominique IngresOdalisque with a slave1842

Jean François MilletReclining Nude

1845

Gustave CourbetThe Bathers

1858

Alexandre Cabanel Birth of Venus

1863

Jules Joseph Lefebvre, Odalisque, 1874

the nude female figure here begins to loose her status as goddess or example of ethnic exoticism. she’s become a particular unclothed woman

Auguste RodinTorso of Adele1878

Auguste RenoirReclining Nude

1890

Frank DuveneckReclining Nude1892

Eduard Manet, Olympia, 1863confident, staring right at the viewer, this Olympia is

shockingly present in body, personality and seductive intent

Henri-GervexRolla1890

Henri de Toulouse-LautrecReclining Nude

1897

porn has always been with us, of course

all photos, c. 1900

Aristide Maillol, Mediterranea, 1906

Henri Matisse, Blue Nude, 1907

Egon SchieleReclining Nude

1917

Amedeo ModiglianiReclining Nude from the Back1917

Amedeo ModiglianiReclining-Nude

1918

Suzanne ValadonLa Chambre bleue1923

Tamara de LempickaReclining Nude1925

Henri MatisseReclining Nude

1938

Henri MatisseReclining Nude1935

Henry MooreReclining Figure

PabloPicassoLying WomanWith A Gigantic Hand

1945

Paul-DelvauxSleeping Venus1946

Manuel NeriMujer Pedada #31985bronze, 76” high

The Nude, 1972 — Naked, 2010

The unclothed female (mostly) body goes from nude to naked in the 2nd half of the 20th century

Edward Hopper, Girlie Show, 1941

Angelo di BenedettoBurlesque, 1941

Gil Elvgren, Gay Nymph, 1947

sold at auction for $286,000 in 2010

Tom Wesselman, Great American Nude, date?

even so, the classical nude carried onin various permutations...

Fernando BoteroSmoking Woman1987

Gary KaemmerReclining NudeFernando Botero

XX Nude1989

artist unknown,Germany, 2008

the ideal body is no longer required, or desired—the democratization of art and culture means that everyone is represented

artist unknown,Fat Suit Barbie

artist unknown,Hong Kong

Marina Abramovic, Nude With Skeleton, 2002-05

artists unknown,grave markers

Robert Graham wax sculpture, 1960s

Robert Graham Torso, date?

Robert GrahamGabriele, 1995bronze, 26” high

Robert GrahamTorso, 2007

Windward Traffic CircleVenice, Ca

Robert MapplethorpeDerrick Cross, 1985photo, 16”x20”

Robert Mapplethorpetitle unknownphoto

very much in the tradition of classical Greek and Roman art

Nicolas Africano, Untitled (Reclining Figure), 1998

and every possible variant from abstract

to porn, frequently making reference to classical

examples...

Helmut Newton, Bergstrom in Paris, 1970s

Velásquez, Rokeby Venus, 1651

Michael ThompsonVanity (Julianne Moore)

Ingres, La Grande Odalisque, 1814

Romare BeardenReclining Nude

1977

Mickalene ThomasA Little Taste Outside of Love2007

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres,

La Grande Odalisque, 1814

Paul Harvey, Rokeby Venus w Monkey, 2006

Velásquez, Rokeby Venus, 1651

Velásquez, Rokeby Venus, 1651

Sam Taylor-WoodSoliloquy-III1998

Test ing our physical and emot ional limit s, Sam Taylor-Wood examines t he vulnerabilit y and fragilit y of t he human body, addressing t he major t hemes of life and death, and re‡ect ing on our own mortalit y. Whilst contemporary in feel and presentat ion, her work references the symbolism of Dutch st ill life and Renaissance paint ings.

Sexy figurative art is very current & popular (an interesting change from decades of the dominance of abstract. )

Sex and sensationalism has helped to sell a (perhaps) played out style.

John Kacere, Ileana

Mel Ramos, The Artists Studio #1, 1987

Sam Taylor-Wood

self-portraiture has long been a legitimate art form

RankinPainting Pretty Pictures

The boundaries between art, fashion and photography are gone

Todd Hido, Untitled, 2005the boundaries are gone I say!

Spencer Tunick, Dussldorf 4, 2006

museums have always been full of nudes. why not real ones?

Spencer Tunick, Naked (after LS Lowery)

Claudia Rogge, Ever After Purgatory IV, 2010

Vanessa BeecroftGuggenheim Museum, 2000

Beecroft dispenses with the annoyingly redundant depiction of the figure, and just shows... the figure(s)

Vanessa Beecroft

stages events/performances with live nude women

Chris Antemann, Feast of Impropriety, 2010sculpture: 16” x 39” x 15”

Martin Eder, Les Nus (The Nudes), 2008

confrontational?

a few prominent fine artists using the figure

nude and naked

John CurrinTheCripple1997

John CurrinThe Old Fur

201050 x 38 in

John Currin, The Conservatory, 2010, 68 x 44 inches

John Currin Hot Pants,

2010, 78 x 60 in

John Currin, Nice ‘n Easy

Lisa Yuskavage, Nana, 2005

Lisa Yuskavage, Kissing Cousins

Lisa YuskavageReclining Nude 1 of 55,Reclining Nude

2009

Lisa Yuskavage, Big Blonde With Beaded Jacket. 1997

Takashi Murakami, Nude Figure

Takashi Murakami, Male Figure

Takashi MurakamiMy Lonesome Cowboy

(sold at auction for $15.1 million)

Will Cotton, Consuming Folly, 2010

art* endures...

* in the traditional senses as expression, politics, concept, exploration, composition and sometimes as simple beauty

Antony Gormleytitle?, date?Canterbury Cathedral

Antony GormleyCritical Mass60 lifesize body formscast iron

Charles RayFamily Romance, 1993

Charles RayAluminum Girl, date?

Charles RayPuzzle Bottle, date?

Charles Raytitle?, 1991

Dana Major KanovitzInfiltrator, 2009

paper pulp, human and horse hair, mm, 38” high

Henk Visch,The Man Who Saved His Own Life, Looking Upmedium?, date?

Jaume Plensa, In the Midst of Dreams, 2009fiberglass, marble pebbles, resin, 86” high

Jaume Plensa, Anna V, 2009alabaster, 65” high

Jaume Plensa, Sho 2007stainless steel

Jaume Plensa, title?, date?stainless steel

Katharina Fritsch, Figurengruppe, 2006-08polyester resin

Marcant, En avant stop!, 2002fiberglass, lacquer

Louise Bourgeois, Untitled (With Foot), 1989

Oyvind Nygard, The Plat, Part 2, 1996

Kiki Smith, Born, 2002bronze, 101” long

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Armament, 2009cast aluminum, 65” high

Marc Quinn, Planetdate?, media?, size?

Marc Quinn, Siren, 2008

Marc Quinn, Allison Lapper Pregnant, 2005 Marc Quinn, Self portrait, date?artists frozen blood

artist unknown

from a series of nude photos of dis- or other- abled people

Ron Mueck, Boydate?, size?polyester resin, silicone, monofilament

Ron Mueck, Mask II, 2002polyester resin, silicone, monofilament77cm high, 118 cm long

Ron Mueck, spooning Couple, 2005polyester resin, silicone, monofilament

to the strange and provocative and funny

artist and date unknown

Scott Fife, Kurt Cobain, 2006cardboard, glue, screws

22” long

Natee Utarit, Venus, the Peel of Emptiness, date?bronze90cm high

Pat Boyd, title?, date?carved and painted gourds

Zhang Huan, Three Heads six Arms, 2008copper26’ high x 60’ wide

Don Maguire, Navel, date?material, size?

artist unknownmaterial?, size?

also unknown: how the hell he/she got permission to display this in a public place

clothing made from growing blood cells in a medium

artist unknownbricks and mortar