Female Nudity in Art

Masterpieces at the

Louvre in Paris

By Cristina Duran Davis

Hendrick Goltzius (Mühlbrecht, 1558 - Haarlem, 1617)Allegory of Abundance (design for a fountain)

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This drawing was intended to be a blueprint for a fountain. There is no such record of such fountain ever created. Hendrick Gotzius used the technique where he utilized certain colors to highlight certain parts of the body. He also used shading to outline the figure. This kind of art had a decorative purpose. With no particular meaning just the imagination of Goltzius’ ideal image of the female body.

Jean-Antoine Houdon (Versailles, 1741-Paris, 1828)DianaDiana

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This sculpture is of the Goddess of hunting Diana. In this work we can see the the design element of balance at it’s best. We see how the distribution of weight is balanced. We also the element of movement captured. We see how the figures seems to be running while hunting.

Agostino CARRACCI (Bologna, 1557 - Parma, 1602)

Three Female Nudes

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This work was drawn using red chalk. This is a realistic drawing that also emphasizedthe concept of human cannon. Body proportion is also used.

Jacques BlanchardVenus and the Three Graces Surprised by a Mortal

c. 1631 - 1633

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This work about female nudity depicting Greek goddesses used the element of Chiaroscuro. Notice how the shading becomes lighter on the the naked bodies to highlight the details and force the viewer’s focus on to the naked females.

Baron Jean-Baptiste REGNAULT (Paris, 1754 - 1829)

The Three Graces

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This painting depicts the female body by using smooth contours and balance. This painting also used the element of symmetrical balance as it shows equality on the left and right side.

Choice of works

The reason why I chose these five masterpieces is because they had a natural and risky theme. When these works were created nudity was usually left to the imagination. I like how the artists let their fantasies and imagination flow to the work. They are visually and thematically similar because they show the aspects of the “ideal and normal” female body. I would exhibit them in one room in a circular presentation. The way I ordered the pieces of art in this presentation would be the order I would layout the exhibit because it starts with a simple drawing showing basic nudity and then it slowly goes into more detailed and more sensual nudity.

-Cristina Duran Davis