I am comparing the work of Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco, an Italian Renaissance master, titled The Sleeping Venus and the work of Impressionist Paul Gauguin titled The Kings Wife.
The nude body has been a prevalent and powerful image used in art throughout time. The male nude first appeared in the art of ancient Greece, where the athletic skill and prowess as a warrior were prized. The Greeks associated the male nude form with victory, success, and even superior morality. The attitude of the ancient Greeks concerning the nude body contrasted sharply with the more common attitudes of the time. In other parts of the world, a lack of dress was associated with having met defeat and disgrace. The best example of this would be the story in the bible of Adam and Eve. The first man and woman feel shame when they eat from the tree of knowledge and realize that they are naked. Naked female figures are found as early as 20,0000 B.C. as seen in the sculpture, Venus of Willendorf. This sculpture is believed to be a fertility symbol and shows the womans sexual features as enlarged and exaggerated. In the 4th century B.C. the Greeks established a new tradition for the female nude. The Greek …show more content…
His father's political activities forced the family into exile in 1849. They went to Lima, the capital of Peru, to stay with relatives. His father died on route, but the rest of the family stayed in Peru for four years. Paul Gauguin's later description of himself as a "savage from Peru", suggests the impact of these years. By the age of seven, he was back in France. As an adult he went on to enroll in the pre-naval college in Paris. From there he went on to travel the world as a professional sailor. At the age of 17 he joined the French merchant navy, traveling the world for the next six years. He was destined to be a wanderer for much of his life, never really settling in one
The nude body has been a prevalent and powerful image used in art throughout time. The male nude first appeared in the art of ancient Greece, where the athletic skill and prowess as a warrior were prized. The Greeks associated the male nude form with victory, success, and even superior morality. The attitude of the ancient Greeks concerning the nude body contrasted sharply with the more common attitudes of the time. In other parts of the world, a lack of dress was associated with having met defeat and disgrace. The best example of this would be the story in the bible of Adam and Eve. The first man and woman feel shame when they eat from the tree of knowledge and realize that they are naked. Naked female figures are found as early as 20,0000 B.C. as seen in the sculpture, Venus of Willendorf. This sculpture is believed to be a fertility symbol and shows the womans sexual features as enlarged and exaggerated. In the 4th century B.C. the Greeks established a new tradition for the female nude. The Greek …show more content…
His father's political activities forced the family into exile in 1849. They went to Lima, the capital of Peru, to stay with relatives. His father died on route, but the rest of the family stayed in Peru for four years. Paul Gauguin's later description of himself as a "savage from Peru", suggests the impact of these years. By the age of seven, he was back in France. As an adult he went on to enroll in the pre-naval college in Paris. From there he went on to travel the world as a professional sailor. At the age of 17 he joined the French merchant navy, traveling the world for the next six years. He was destined to be a wanderer for much of his life, never really settling in one