The Naked Truth - The Nude in Art, and Drawing from Life

The Nude in Art - The Bare Facts!
Years ago I went to life classes with my friend Ella. We were both keen young artists and we loved to work directly from a live, nude model. Often these models were male, and Ella who had a suspicious minded, jealous boyfriend, could never resisting adding a few crucial inches here and there when depicting the male form in all its glory!
Our nude models came in all shapes and sizes; sometimes old, sometimes young, sometimes slim and muscular, and other times more amply proportioned. One older gentleman in his seventies suffered from alopecia and had no hair anywhere on his body. He was one of our favourites. The many folds and creases of his neck reminded me of a tortoise, and were always a challenge to draw accurately. He would sit so still, his eyes closed, that once or twice I feared he’d actually passed away whilst still modelling! Another young lady had so many piercings and tattoos that she was a work of art in her own right. It was tempting to draw the piercings rather than the form, but our tutor was strict, and he would get us focussed by asking the girl to do a series of five minute poses. This was a great discipline, as you capture the true essence of form in a few short minutes, and don’t have a chance to linger on extraneous detail. Life class gave me a brilliant grounding in accurately depicting the human form both clothed, and unclothed, and I cannot recommend it highly enough to aspiring artists.
Many male friends have asked me whether the models were 'hot'. Well, no, not to me at least. My main objective was to find the line and get down on paper a fair representation of what was before me. My fingers blackened with charcoal, or covered in paint or pastel, I would work as fast as I could to complete the task before the model changed poses. I didn't have time for anything more than passing admiration for a well-toned body either male or female, I was too busy sketching and finding shapes and negative space.
I came across another hub recently written from a model's perspective, and it inspired me to write this. I hope you enjoy sharing with me some of my favourite works of art!
Edouard Manet - le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe

Manet's naughty picnic
This large oil painting caused uproar when it was first exhibited. The nude component was not the problem, as the nude in art was well-established from classical times. The problem was the naked, and partially clad young women in close juxtaposition with the fully clothed gentlemen. What kind of young women flaunted themselves in the open air with such gay abandon? We can only guess. Needless to say the supposition was that these young hussies were kept women or worse!
Edouard Manet was one of the original French Impressionists. He was born in 1832 and died in 1832. This painting can be seen in the flesh, at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris.
La Toilette by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec - a little man with a big talent
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is justifiably famous for his many beautiful paintings and drawings of the 'working girls' and dancers who frequented the parts of Paris where he lived and worked. La Toilette is one such work.
Sparing in detail, this depiction of a young women preparing herself for the day is a bright and cheerful image. The girl has paused for a moment after pulling on her black stockings. Her red hair is in disarray and she is looking away, perhaps contemplating the day ahead. Toulouse-Lautrec conveyed so much energy and life in his work without ever labouring too hard to capture every detail.
Painted in 1896, this is also in the Musee D'Orsay, Paris, but many more of Toulouse-Lautrec's works can be seen in his former home in Albi. If you are as big a fan of Toulouse-Lautrec as I am, then it would make a worthwhile detour in any French holiday schedule!
Venus by Sandro Botticelli

The Birth of Venus - with strategic hairstyling!
I love this 15th Century painting by Sandro Botticelli. The picture is in Florence, and has to be on every art-lovers 'must see' list. The freshness of the colour and design after more than 500 years bears testimony to the skill of Botticelli as an artist. I also love the way Venus preserves her modesty with a strategically placed lock of hair!
Danae by Gustav Klimt 1907

Klimt's unusual viewpoint - Danae
Danae is on exhibition in Vienna, and is representative of Klimt's preference for an unusual viewpoint from which to make his composition. Klimt's love of pattern and texture make his pictures both unique and highly sought after. The richness of the model's red hair contrasts beautifully with the gold and green patterned background, and the huge expanse of thigh in the foreground is both sensual and unsettling.
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vincii

Vitruvian Man -one of art's most famous images
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) was the original Renaissance man. His many interests included art, anatomy, geology and science. His drawing of Vitruvian Man must surely be one of Arts best known images, and it has recently acquired new fans through it's recent role in 'The Da Vinci Code'!
Vitruvian Man, quite apart from being a striking image, is actually designed to show the proportions of the human figure.
The Sleepers by Gustave Courbet

Courbet's erotic commission from Khalil-Bey
French artist Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was a talented draughtsman who tried his hand at a wide range of subjects from landscape to portraiture, but it is this depiction of girl on girl love that is perhaps his most famous (or infamous!) work.
The painting of two naked sleepers, their limbs entangled in the intimacy of a close embrace, their hair tousled, was commissioned by a wealthy Turk, Khalil Bey, who was a renowned collector of erotica. Completed in 1866, the picture is now in a collection in Paris.
The Great Bathers by Paul Cezanne

The giant nudes of Philadelphia
Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) painted a series of nudes late in his career, and this giant painting nearly seven feet high and over eight feet long, was completed in 1905. In this painting Cezanne attempted to integrate nude figures with landscape, and he achieves this by making his figures echo the leaning trees which form an arch in the centre of the painting.
This epic work is in the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Les Trois Graces by Van Loo

Three Graceful Ladies
These three lovely ladies are 'Les Trois Graces' by Van Loo.
I have added this after following the link kindly left by Tom Rubenoff (See Comments)
Chloe by Jules Joseph Lefebre

The Naked Beauty hanging in a Melbourne Pub
'Chloe' was painted in 1875 by Jules Joseph Lefebre. She hangs in the Young and Jackson pub which stands on the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street in Melbourne, Australia. She's quite a beauty, and worth seeking out if you are ever in Melbourne!
This addition to my gallery was recommended by Agvulpes (see comments below)
The Model Writing Postcards by Carl Larsson

The Model Writing Postcards by Carl Larsson
I came across this Carl Larsson painting purely by chance. I love Larsson's work, and I included several examples in my Christmas Art hub. I was so surprised to find this image because it's such an unusual subject for Larsson. I'm far more accustomed to the detailed watercolours of family life for which he became famous.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Larsson, he was primarily an illustrator living and working in Sweden at the turn of the 19th century. This particular painting dates from 1906.
Male Life Study by John Singer Sargent

Classic male life study by John Singer Sargent
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) had a long and successful career as a portrait artist. Born in Florence of American parents, he forged a truly international career, painting throughout Europe, and also visiting America on numerous occasions. He was a thoroughly cultured man who spoke fluent French, Italian and German, and he put these linguistic skills to good use during his time as a war artist in France during the first world war.
I've included this drawing partly because I like it, and because it showcases Singer Sargent's great skill as a portraitist, but also because it brings us back to the beginning of this discussion of the nude in art. Back to the life class where artists learn the basics of posture and form.
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Comments
Awesome art!
beautiful hub.
Beautifully compiled, rich in information - loved this hub. Thanks for this ... I am looking forward to reading more of yours.. voted up!
This Hub is great. Life drawing is necessary in art as far as I am concerned. Why would art schools all over the world still teach the method if it was not important?
With practice and using different mediums artists learn how to actually look at a subject. This is the best way to learn how to get your proportions and tones correct. Copying from photographs is a poor substitute as the camera looses so much detail and colours, you also loose natural 3D form.
I just found this site. It is varied and artistic and I hope to see more interest in it. Richard
I don't believe it is necessary to draw from actual nudes to improve drawing skills. There are many stock photographs of people of all ages and physical maturies to draw from. I believe that if some of the well paid artists can copy off another persons work then so can I. It is kind of like drawing lighthouses, you don't have to be their to draw them well. Just copy off other peoples work.
This is a great cllection of brilliant art. I truly wish I could paint. I go to a lot of art galleries and admire the art with friends. Great hub!
Love the subject of this hub Amanda. Thank you for shearing your knowledge.
Thanks cgull. I've never thought of selling on the net, but it's worth a shot!
Love the images. Cool hub.
Ahh life classes, I remember the embarassment of my first, in art college at the age of seventeen. And being even more shocked seeing the lovely lady a few days later clothed in Tesco's where I had a saturday job. By the end of the year though I had drawn so many that it was like painting still life bowls of fruit, curvy with smooth, wrinkled or orange peel pitted skins. Loved them all.
Hi Amanda!
Very pretty! Thinking of nudes, I'm usually reminded of 'The Nude Maja' by Goya and 'Les Damoiselles D'Avignon' by Picasso. Maybe they are a bit overexposed, too, like Chris mentioned with Venus de Milo the DaVinci. Still, they are worth a shot :-)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c...
http://www.ihmadrid.com/comunicativo/mini_galeria/...[1]_jpg.jpg
Once again, you've selected some fabulous art! I have to go with the Courbet! (I know...typical male!) Really, I like them all, but of course Venus de Milo and the DaVinci are overexposed, to make a pun. I've seen them so much, they stand on their own and I have trouble looking at them comparatively.
I haven't seen you around lately, but then I have not been here so much either. Hope you had a great New Years Eve and an even better New Year!
Wonderful hub - again! A well done nude is really something. I still remember your first photo when that exhibition came to our musuem in Atlanta, Georgia, USA - was a docent at the time. It was an awesome collection! Too bad Hubpages didn't have a better viewing like a gallery for fine art, oh well... thanks!
Wow this is great, I just published a hub on nude paintings of the female form and I realized the only thing we have in common is the one by Ingres although i originally missed out on the Grande Odalisque until somebody came looking for it! Haha how could I have forgotten her! Great hub! :D
Hello Amanda post your paintings here, we would love to see it. You can try to sell them at http://www.Etsy.com, there are plenty of painters and artists there.
Wonderful hub! It was nice to take a little break from a busy afternoon and enjoy your words and these beautiful images. Your hub inspired me to get out my easel and paints. Thank you for the inspiration.
Actually, that was the painting that I was talking about. Hate war, would do anything to prevent it.
Hi Amanda some great paintings you have there.
We have quite a famous nude "Chloe", hanging in a Pub in Melbourne you may like to have a look see?
I just took a look nonchaloir and, yes, I saw his Lady MacBeth oil painting before. The war painting I saw is more foggy and painted in red and brown with minimal white. Perhaps the red represents blood and the brown represents guilt. I'm not the biggest art connoisseur, but his art looks so real that it seems reflects a realist who saw the world as it was. It's very clean, stunning work.
Nice paintings. I like John Singer Sargent's "Male Life" the most for its uncanningly subtle yet detailed lines.
Hi Amanda, Nice Art! I love this stuff.
My uncle has worked in the museum of natural history most of my life as an anthropologist. I also had access to the metropolitan museum of art and many others. I love to walk through Greenwich village and So-ho with so many wonderful art galleries. I was never brought up with any real fine culture but I like what I see. I am also very fond of Nude art. Maybe it’s just the dirty dog in me. I don’t know. My wife and I both agree that one day we will have a nice collection of art, nudes included.
Here is my newest hub, hope you like it.. https://hubpages.com/misc/Defend-Yourself-101
Thank You .. JosephDiego
Great collection, Amanda. The Musee d'Orsay is my favourite stopping off point in Paris. Enjoyed reading about your life classes too.
Just passing through, Amanda. I like the hub.
Cheers.
It's wonderful to read the stories of the art. One work really captivated me as a very young boy and I hadn't remembered it until now. It was Les Trois Graces by Van Loo. It took me a while to track it down, but I found it here:
Great hub, you captured teh expereince of life drawing very well, I still go every wednesday to a community organized figure drawing class and get many of the same questions from all who know.
I didn't see it referenced so the header art is "la grande odalisque" ingres
What a great hub. I really enjoyed the art you feature here--I used to have a print of Klimt's Danae hanging in my livingroom--I loved it--but my eldest daughter was embarassed by it. I still love it.
I enjoy art and used to draw but haven't done any drawing in years. I'm not very good at it, but I used to like drawing cartoons of my family when my kids were little. They loved that. You should post some of YOUR art Amanda! I'd love to see it. Thank you for this hub!
Hi Amanda - didn't realise you were an artist - wow!!
Love this collection that you've put together - what a wonderful first read on a Sunday morning - you've made my day, thanks!
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