Audrey Colanero Professor Sami Siegelbaum, Art History The nude Audrey Colanero Professor Sami Siegelbaum, Art History

History of the Nude Since the inception of art, artists have represented the nude female figure in infinite styles, methods, and contexts. The classic nude has been an accepted, celebrated subject matter in both the art world and the public. It was not meant to be sexual or lustful, instead stood for eternal beauty and virtue. Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538

History of the nude A major shift occurred in the art world in Paris during the late 1800s, through the movement of Modernism. This triggered an outrage from viewers of these groundbreaking paintings. Manet, Olympia, 1864

Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538 Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863

Today As time progresses, art evolves. Though vulgarity is increasingly prevalent in modern day society, nudity in art continues to make people uncomfortable, perhaps more than ever. (Biancolli)

Social media and nudity “People might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content” Instagram’s Community Guidelines

How has the culture and public response surrounding nudity in art changed throughout art history? How do people today respond to paintings that act as turning points in art history? How and why does that differ from their response to nudity created in the present day?

Proposed Research Method Create a survey to figure out how museum goers respond to the different types of nudity presented in art museums Do an online survey that would be concerned with modern day nudity in art forms such as photography, particularly on social media platforms Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles de Avignon, 1907 Paul Gaugin, Are You Jealous?, 1892 Alexandre Cabanel, Venus, 1863

Potential survey questions Do you view this as art? Does the nudity bother you? What types of thoughts or feelings does the image evoke? How does the setting in which you view the image affect how you feel about it, if at all? What message do you believe the artist was trying to convey?

References Biancolli, Amy. “Nudity in Art Can Still Cause Discomfort.” Times Union. N.p., 16 June 2016. Web. Oct. 2016 Brooks, Katherine. “Your Definitive Guide to Reading a Piece of Nude Art.” The Huffington Post. 17 Nov. 2015. Web. Oct. 2016. Calosse, Jp. A. Nudes. [Electronic Resource]. n.p.: [New York] : [Parkstone International], [2011], 2011. LINUS Catalog. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. Clark, T.J. "Olympia's Choice," The Painting of Modern Life (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985), 79-146, 281-97. Courtney, Julia. “To see or not to see.” artid. 28 June 2005. Web. Oct. 2016. Dijkstra, Bram. Naked: The Nude in America. n.p.: New York: Rizzoli, 2010., 2010. LINUS Catalog. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. Nochlin, Linda. Bathers, Bodies, Beauty: The Visceral Eye. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2006. Print. Steinberg, Leo “The Philosophical Brothel,” October 44 (Spring 1988) 7- 74. Turco-Williams, Natalie. “Instagram finally updates its confusing policy on nudity.” Dazed. DazedDigital.com, 14 Oct. 2015. Blog. Oct. 2016. Weiermair, Peter. The Nude: Ideal and Reality. Florence: ArtificioSkira, 2004. Print.