Nudity in Art
Nudity and Art
The Human form. Isn't it intriguing?
Have you ever thought of the extent of effort society has both hidden and displayed its nudes? We hide grand statues thousands of years old in drapes of fabrics, covering any minute body part with a well placed fig leaf or, as the Greeks did in protest to one of their conquest's flamboyant sexual displays, just lop them off.
Ouch!
Hercules and Lichas, Antonio Canova
Hate to break it to these "art restorers" but Hercules is still naked. His form is battling Lichas, not trying for an arousal. Even the ancient ones had a stick up...wait, I digress.
There are a myriad of examples of nudity in art. Some are not exactly artistic to one eye while to another it is breath-taking. The fascination with the human body transcends the expanses of time. Maybe it is the idea that something that is with us every day is also a marker for taboo that is confusing.
Let me let you in on a secret...Shh...this is between you and I....we are all naked under our clothes. gasp! Yes, it is true. Someone had to tell you. Might a well be me. Aren't you glad we had this talk?
OK, that out of the way, artists have not only just recently awakened to the elaborate complexities of human beauty. The examples over the centuries could stagger the mind, from Michael Angelo's David to Playboy's Marilyn Monroe.
There is nothing so natural as the curves of a person's body untethered by straps of cloth or <clears throat> damn fig leaves.
Venus and the Lute Player, Titian
Whether the intricate curves and delicate lines are brought to us by a paint brush or a highly focused lens, the results are amazing. No one body is the exact same as another. 
la maja desnuda Francisco Goya
Such beauty and wonder right under our very noses. As long as there is an eye for that beauty, nudity will always be in art. It is there to open our eyes, as is has in every generation, so that the fig leaf will flitter away in the breeze and no one will miss it.
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I find it interesting that the ideal male body has not changed much over the centuries. Always muscular, tall, lean---of course it varies from culture to culture. Though during Middle Age Europe, a plump man was seen as sign of status. Now... we're back to the Greek God body goals lol.
I have noticed this as well. Status and wealth is the draw of many but the body of a worker is the ideal form in art. It is something to think about.
Also, the female body is another interesting topic altogether. The ideal female body has changed drastically throughout ancient Greek Art. Not to mention that ideal body shapes were quick to change in the last century. Hmmm.