Why are there so many naked women in western oil paintings?

Body art, in the eyes of us orientals, is shocking and shy most of the time, but for westerners, body art seems quite ordinary, and we can often see many western body art works. In fact, there are many misunderstandings. Westerners did not immediately accept body art at first. Body art is widely accepted in the west and has gone through a long and tortuous process.

As we all know, western paintings often use Greek mythology as an excuse to draw naked women. For example, Venus must be naked every time she appears in a painting. This is based on an irrefutable reason: God can be naked. Because no one has seen what God looks like, they can't fight back. On the other hand, the ancient Greeks really wore cool clothes, and painting the goddess as a naked woman made sense from the cosplay effect.

There are many nude sculptures and reliefs of men and women among the cultural relics unearthed in ancient Greece. For the ancient Greeks, nudity represented the ideal of perfect figure, youth and strength. After ancient Greece and Rome, art entered the "dark" Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, nudity represented evil and weakness. Therefore, in Christian art, let alone naked women, even the images of naked women are rare. In order to reveal the sacred mark of Jesus, the church allows the picture of Jesus suffering or Jesus appearing in the sky to be half naked.

Because the Bible says that Adam and Eve were naked at first, and later they were ashamed after eating the fruit of wisdom, the pictures of Adam and Eve can also be naked. In addition, no other painting can appear nude. So my previous impression was that the paintings related to Christianity in western art were basically serious.

The first story is Susanna and the elders. Susanna, a wealthy young woman, was coveted by two local horny uncles (elders) because of her beauty. These two people often spy on Susanna and once happened to meet Susanna taking a bath in her garden. At the same time, the two also found each other's existence, which may be courage.

The two old goats decided to flirt with Susanna together. When the maids left, they began to bully and seduce her, but Susanna would not live with these two bad old men even if she was killed. At this time, the two elders took a bite back and said, if you are not good with us, I will sue you for adultery. Susanna still refused severely. As a result, two elders took her to court and Susanna was hanged.

Susanna prayed to God devoutly at the moment. God felt her injustice and sent the prophet Daniel to save her. Daniel asked the court to reopen the case. He wisely interrogated the two elders separately to prevent them from colluding with each other.

He asked them what tree they found Susanna adultery with others. As a result, their answers are different and their defects are exposed. Susanna got revenge and two elders were executed.

Loyalty and piety overcome evil. This is a biblical story with a sense of justice, but it has deteriorated in painting ... This story actually has many scenes to draw. The sense of justice should be the part where the prophet Daniel fought with two elders in the final judgment.

But now most people choose to paint Susanna taking a bath and being peeped. At present, there are at least hundreds of oil paintings about Susanna and the elders in museums around the world, all of which are bathing scenes!

Susanna's story itself has multiple meanings, but just showing the bathing scene in the painting is actually diluting its moral meaning and highlighting the pornographic part; However, this identity of biblical stories provides a safe coat for this hypocrisy.

They show neither loyalty nor piety, but desire. Choosing a story intended to promote justice to describe such a fragrant scene is actually legalizing voyeurism.

The following two paintings are both works by Tintoretto. In the first picture, there are two elderly people in the shade in the distance. Susanna was served by the maid, but she leaned over and looked straight at the audience outside the canvas.

Who are we when she looks at us? In fact, we have joined the ranks of two elders and become voyeurs. So we looked at Susanna, and Susanna knew we were looking at her (it was creepy). By the way, the fat on this body is a little hard to look straight at. Why did Europeans like this before?

Tintoretto, Susanna and Elders,1555–56, Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.

In the second picture, Susanna is looking in the mirror, which symbolizes vanity (although there is no description of looking in the mirror in the original story). Western oil paintings like to show women's vanity by looking in the mirror, which means that women always care about what others (men) think of themselves, thus making women the first object to be watched.

"Because I like to look at naked women, I (the painter or the client) created you, so it is reasonable for me to look at you now, but I want to give you a mirror and call you vanity." In this way, moral condemnation was thrown back to the other side and successfully excused his own desires.

Tintoretto, Susanna and the Elder, 1555, Vienna Museum of History.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with seeing Huang Tu Jr., and there is no problem with this demand, but there is a logic hidden in these Huang Tu Jr.: on the one hand, they are satisfied when they see her naked, and on the other hand, they have to condemn her morally. Kong Zhen, this is not a hooligan.

Look at the picture below. Was Susanna teased by two elders or teased by two elders? Is she struggling or smiling? The images of dogs in western oil paintings mostly express loyalty. However, is the puppy sticking out of the gap behind Susanna reminding her to be loyal, or just want to escape from this trouble point as soon as possible?

Alessandro Allori, Susanna and Elder, 156 1, Mani Museum in Dijon, France.

In many paintings, Susanna is not so much an innocent victim as a deliberate crime-of course, this is the effect carefully created by the painter, such as making Susanna smile back at the viewer, hinting at her vanity with a mirror and arranging her to do some ambiguous actions. It's like saying, Susanna, this is your fault. Thus, this evil desire was further legalized. This is really a very bright porn film!

Most of the oil paintings of Susanna and the elders have carried out the logic mentioned above. This is a theme that is convenient for people to draw and see naked women, even better than Greek mythology, because it also has its own moral sublimation and even saves the trouble of writing comments. So many works in the name of morality but based on pornography.

I only found one exception, and that is artemisia gentileschi's version. This painting rarely shows Susanna's disgust, fear and resistance, rather than being as ambiguous as other paintings. Gentileschi was the most outstanding female painter in the Baroque period. It is an interesting question whether her choice of such an expression is related to her female identity.

It may be because she is a woman that she really understands women's feelings, not because of straight male cancer. The last article introduced the painter. Please poke kim kardashian in the oil painting field in the comments | Italian female painter Gentileschi)

Artemisia gentileSchi, Susanna and Elder, 16 10, sch? Nborn Collection Center, Pommer Sfar, Germany.

The second story is Bathsheba and King David. King David, the great king of the ancient kingdom of Israel, believed in God very devoutly. Among the kings of Israel, he is the most just monarch described in the Bible, and his heroic deeds are numerous, such as killing the giant Goliath.

Michelangelo's famous statue of David is this king David. But King David also committed some crimes in his later years, one of which was stealing other people's wives! The woman he wanted to rob was Bathsheba.

Bathsheba is the wife of an officer under King David. One day, she was taking a bath (or garden) on her terrace, when King David saw her taking a bath on a nearby roof (or tower), and then she couldn't extricate herself. He sent a messenger to summon Bathsheba, and then he took her away and knocked her up.

At this time, King David realized that something was wrong, and quickly called Bathsheba's husband back from the front line and ordered him to go home and love his wife, so that her husband thought that the child in his wife's belly was his. This method of cuckolding people is also a lever ... But Bathsheba's husband strictly abides by the military regulations-he is not allowed to go home during his service, so he has been staying in the military camp.

When King David saw that this trick didn't work, he thought of another trick. He arranged for the poor husband to go to the front to fight, and then ordered the general to abandon the man in the battle and let him die at the hands of the enemy. As a result, Bathsheba's husband died heroically, and King David married Bathsheba justifiably. Son of Solomon, Bathsheba and King David, who later became king of Israel.

The ending of this story is also very just. King David's behavior made God very angry, so he punished him: his first child with Bathsheba died, and a few years later there was a rebellion at home. However, as you should have guessed, people are actually not so interested in the moral part of the story. The most interesting thing is naked women!

Bathsheba by the fountain in Peter Paul Rubens, 1635, Gem? Altmeister Art Museum in Dresden, Germany.

Bathing scene in Bathsheba provides yy space for many painters, and it is a very safe space. Because it is both a biblical story and a historical story, you can draw a bathing beauty with confidence. In most Bath pictures of Bathsheba, there is usually a tall tower in the distance with several figures (King David) on it.

Prove that this is Bathsheba in the Old Testament. The purpose of these "props" is to wash Huang Tu white and tell everyone, "I'm not painting an erotic palace. This is a story of religion and history! "

Rembrandt, however, subverted these routines. There is no tower or King David in the picture below, only a naked woman taking a bath and her maid. So, Rembrandt is bold enough to openly paint ordinary naked women? No, notice that the lady has a letter in her hand, and there is a red lacquer seal in the corner of the letter, indicating that it is from the king (although there is no such letter mentioned in the original story).

This letter shows that this woman is Bathsheba: her bath was spied by King David, and then King David sent this letter to inform her that she would become the king of the country. Without this letter, it is an ordinary naked woman taking a bath, which is a taboo; Once you have this letter, the whole picture immediately makes sense.

Rembrandt, Bathing Bathsheba, 1654, Louvre, Paris, France.

Rembrandt saw Bathsheba's complicated mood at a glance. She seems to have read the contents of the letter, but she hangs her head and seems to be thinking about something. Should I stick to my husband's loyalty or obey the king's request? This seems to be a moral dilemma that loyalty and righteousness cannot take into account, but in fact, how many choices can Bathsheba have in the face of the king's request?

At the moment, the maid is washing her feet. She was surrounded by luxurious golden brocade. Isn't this what she prepared before she entered the palace to serve the king? A beam of highlights hit Bathsheba. It was typical Rembrandt fatigue. Everything was in the dark except her nakedness.

There is no King David in the picture. As long as the audience wants, they can always regard this painting as a fragrant nude bathing girl. For those who seek moral explanation, Rembrandt shows Bathsheba's helpless moral dilemma.

For hormone seekers, Rembrandt provides them with an excellent fantasy. Just like those French romantic literary films, there are both pornography and literature and art. Of course, this is a very thin steel wire.

The last story is about Potiphar's wife and Yue Se. This story comes from Genesis in the Bible. Yue Se was a prophet in the Old Testament. When he was young, he was sold to Egypt as a slave and worked in the home of a local official, Potipha. Yue Se is loyal to God, so everything goes smoothly, and because he is very capable, he is promoted to be a housekeeper by his master.

At this time, the master's wife took a fancy to Yue Se and repeatedly induced Yue Se to commit adultery with her. But Yue Se is loyal to her master and always refuses her. Once, Mrs Potiphar deliberately blocked other servants and called Yue Se to her bedroom. As soon as Yue Se entered the room, he found his wife lying naked in bed, but Yue Se was as indifferent as Liu Xiahui.

He refused his wife's temptation and left the room at once. At this time, Mrs Potiphi grabbed Yue Se's skirt and tore off his coat. Yue Se didn't care so much, and left without getting his clothes back. As a result, when the owner Potiphi came back, the lady accused Yue Se of forcibly entering her room and trying to rape her. She also pointed to the skirt and said it was evidence!

Master Potiphar had to put Yue Se in prison. However, due to Yue Se's prophetic ability (actually interpreting dreams), he was later appreciated by Egyptian pharaohs, so he was released and became a senior official in Egypt.

If this story is staged in a small stage play, there must be several scenes. In fact, there are many opportunities to show the wisdom, piety and loyalty of the Prophet Yue Se. However, none of them appeared in the painting. Everyone likes the part painted in the bedroom, that is, the part where naked women can appear.

Guercino, wife of Joseph and Potiphar, 1649, National Gallery of Washington, DC, USA.

These paintings are all about Yue Se and Potiphar's wife, and the composition is basically similar: Potiphar's wife lies naked in bed, Yue Se refuses to escape, and then Potiphar grabs her skirt.

Jean-Baptiste Natier, wife of Joseph Potiphar, hermitage museum, St Petersburg, Russia.

Guido Reni, wife of Joseph and Potipha, 1630, Getty Center, Los Angeles, USA.

Here is John Berger's The Way to Watch, a book about image and cultural criticism. At the same time, the author also hosted a documentary of the same name in the BBC, which was a film in the 1970s.

He said, "Naked is to keep yourself, naked is to be watched, and at the same time, self is not recognized. Naked is first and foremost an object to be displayed. The beauty in the painting was rewarded, and this reward is to be owned. She is naked not because she is naked, but because you are looking at her. "

Great! Naked women in western painting are the first objects to be displayed and watched, and they always seem to be aware that they are being watched. So nudity is not an expression of her own feelings, but a manifestation of her obedience to the needs of others, in other words, the needs of the collectors of this painting. Her needs are not important, what matters is the needs of the audience.

Some people will say, why can't we simply appreciate these nude paintings as art? In other words, what's wrong with human painting nude to appreciate their bodies? Indeed, nude images (both men and women) in western paintings represent an ideal theme and are regarded as the expression of European humanistic spirit.

Just as the ancient Greeks' worship of the body was a perfect ideal. However, why do you have such a strong erotic meaning only when you draw naked women, while you emphasize strength and honor when you draw naked men? Obviously, most of the former customers and collectors were men, so this so-called humanistic ideal is actually a man's humanistic ideal after all, and has nothing to do with women.

In fact, whether it is Venus in Greek mythology or the biblical story mentioned just now, these nude female paintings are not particularly public, at least they will not be hung in the living room. Before the19th century, these paintings were almost all private manuscripts, so the client did not intend to appreciate them as works of art from the beginning.

Most of them are put in the men's study for personal use, and occasionally a few friends (= wretched uncle) are invited to visit. Therefore, if we appreciate these nude paintings with the eyes of appreciating art now, it is undoubtedly out of their original context.

Its creator did not intend to regard it as a noble work of art from the beginning. To put it bluntly, it's just a toy that can only be played by aristocrats and rich people: it's similar to the current porn or little Huang Tu. Food and color are also good.

I say this because I believe that human nature is more noble than art. Few people really care about art in this world, and most people really just want a little Huang Tu. Similarly, if someone tells me that he went to see Jin Ping Mei to appreciate the elegance of literary masterpieces, I can only hehe. If you want to see it, just look at it openly.

Susanna and the elders, Bath of Bathsheba, Potiphar's wife and Yue Se, etc. Even in the European society where religious beliefs were generally desired before the 20th century, people clearly knew that these were just satisfying desires under the guise of religious morality. What goddess and virgin are just ordinary people in the painting?

What's more, the naked female models in the painting are actually prostitutes, which was also a well-known fact at that time. In that case, why not just admit that these paintings are actually semi-erotic? Because the fig leaf of myth and religion is like a translucent thin enough paper, everyone knows its existence, but pretends to turn a blind eye, let alone pierce it.

More and more people think that western classical painting is really a profound knowledge, half of which is Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and the other half is a naked woman.