In art there are eternal themes. One of them is the theme of women, the theme of motherhood. Each era has its own ideal of a woman, the entire history of mankind is reflected in how people saw a woman, what myths surrounded her and helped create Her. One thing is certain - in all centuries and times The feminine character has attracted, is attracting and will continue to attract special attention from artists.
Created in portrait art images of women carry the poetic ideal in its harmonious unity spiritual qualities And appearance. From portraits we can judge how a woman’s appearance and her mental makeup are influenced by social events, fashion, literature, art and painting itself.
We present to you various images of women in painting different directions
REALISM
The essence of the direction is to capture reality as accurately and objectively as possible. The birth of realism in painting is most often associated with creativity French artist Gustave Courbet, who opened his personal exhibition “Pavilion of Realism” in Paris in 1855. The opposite of romanticism and academicism. In the 1870s, realism was divided into two main directions - naturalism and impressionism. Naturalists were artists who sought to capture reality as accurately and photographically as possible.
Ivan Kramskoy “Unknown”
Serov "Girl with Peaches"
ACADEMISM
Academicism grew by following external forms classical art. Academicism embodied traditions ancient art, in which the image of nature is idealized. Russian academicism of the first half of the 19th century is characterized by sublime themes, a high metaphorical style, diversity, multi-figures and pomp. Were popular biblical stories, salon landscapes and ceremonial portraits. Despite the limited subject matter of the paintings, the works of the academicians were distinguished by high technical skill.
Bouguereau "Pleiades"
Bouguereau "Mood"
Cabanel "Birth of Venus"
IMPRESSIONISM
Representatives of the style sought to capture the most natural and unbiased real world in its mobility and variability, to convey your fleeting impressions. French impressionism didn't pick it up philosophical problems. Instead, impressionism focuses on superficiality, the fluidity of a moment, mood, lighting, or angle of view. Their paintings represented only the positive aspects of life and did not violate social problems, and avoided problems such as hunger, disease, and death. Biblical, literary, mythological, historical subjects, inherent in official academicism. Subjects of flirting, dancing, being in a cafe and theater, boating, on beaches and in gardens were taken. Judging by the paintings of the Impressionists, life is a series of small holidays, parties, pleasant pastimes outside the city or in a friendly environment.
Boldini "Moulin Rouge"
Renoir "Portrait of Jeanne Samary"
Manet "Breakfast on the Grass"
Mayo "RosaBrava"
Lautrec "Woman with an Umbrella"
SYMBOLISM
The Symbolists radically changed not only different kinds art, but also the very attitude towards it. Their experimental character, desire for innovation, cosmopolitanism became a model for the majority modern trends art. They used symbols, understatement, allusions, mystery, enigma. The main mood was often pessimism, reaching the point of despair. Unlike other movements in art, symbolism believes in the expression of “unattainable”, sometimes mystical ideas, images of Eternity and Beauty.
Redon "Ophelia"
Franz von Stuck "Salome"
Watts "Hope"
Rosseti "Persephone"
MODERN
Art Nouveau sought to combine artistic and utilitarian functions created works, to involve all spheres of human activity in the sphere of beauty. As a result, interest in applied arts: interior design, ceramics, book graphics. Art Nouveau artists drew inspiration from art Ancient Egypt and ancient civilizations. The most noticeable feature of Art Nouveau was the abandonment of right angles and lines in favor of smoother, curved lines. Art Nouveau artists often took ornaments from the plant world as the basis for their drawings.
Klimt "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I"
Klimt "Danae"
Klimt "The Three Ages of Woman"
Fly "Fruit"
EXPRESSIONISM
Expressionism is one of the most influential artistic movements of the 20th century. Expressionism arose as a reaction to acute crisis first quarter of the 20th century, First world war and subsequent revolutionary movements, the ugliness of bourgeois civilization, which resulted in a desire for irrationality. Motifs of pain and scream were used, the principle of expression began to prevail over the image.
Modigliani. Using the bodies and faces of women, he tries to penetrate the souls of his characters. "I'm interested in human. The face is the greatest creation of nature. I use it tirelessly,” he repeated.
Modigliani "Sleeping Nude"
Schiele "Woman in Black Stockings"
CUBISM
Cubism - modernist movement V fine arts(mainly in painting) of the 1st quarter of the 20th century, which brought to the fore the formal task of constructing a three-dimensional form on a plane, minimizing the visual and cognitive functions of art. The emergence of cubism is traditionally dated to 1906-1907 and is associated with the work of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. Overall, Cubism was a break with tradition realistic art, which developed during the Renaissance, including the creation visual illusion world on a plane. The work of the Cubists was a challenge to the standard beauty of salon art, the vague allegories of symbolism, and the instability of impressionist painting. Entering the circle of rebellious, anarchistic, individualistic movements, Cubism stood out among them by its attraction to asceticism of color, to simple, weighty, tangible forms and elementary motifs.
Picasso "The Weeping Woman"
Picasso "Playing the Mandolin"
Picasso "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"
SURREALISM
The basic concept of surrealism, surreality- combination of dream and reality. To achieve this, the surrealists proposed an absurd, contradictory combination of naturalistic images through collage and moving an object from a non-artistic space to an artistic one, due to which the object opens from an unexpected side, things that were not noticed outside appear in it. artistic context properties. The surrealists were inspired by radical leftist ideology, but they proposed starting the revolution with their own consciousness. They thought of art as the main instrument of liberation. This direction developed under the great influence of Freud's theory of psychoanalysis. Surrealism was rooted in symbolism and was initially influenced by symbolist artists such as Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon. Many of popular artists were surrealists, including Rene Magritte, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Alberto Giacometti.
How many interesting and unusual things can be learned from the history of just one painting. The history of "Olympia" by Edouard Manet is like a short adventure novel, but with a good ending.
Olympia" is one of best paintings French impressionist Edouard Manet, which was created in 1863. the canvas is a masterpiece of modern painting.
Edouard Manet 1832-1883- French painter, engraver, one of the founders impressionism.
In all ages, Venus has been revered as an ideal female beauty, in the Louvre and other museums around the world there are many paintings with nudes female figures. But Manet called for looking for beauty not only in the distant past, but also in modern life, this is something the enlightened philistines did not want to come to terms with.
LET'S CONSIDER THE PICTURE:
Olympia. Edouard Manet.
The painting depicts a reclining nude woman. She rests her right arm on lush white pillows, her upper body slightly raised. Her left hand rests on the thigh, covering the womb. The model's face and body are facing the viewer.
A cream blanket, richly decorated along the edge with a floral pattern, is thrown over her snow-white bed. The girl holds the tip of the bedspread with her hand. The viewer can also see the dark red upholstery of the bed.
The girl is completely naked, wearing only a few jewelry: her pulled back red hair is decorated with a large pink orchid, and around her neck she has a black velvet with a pearl tied in a bow. In pandan earrings were matched to the pearl, and on right hand models - a wide gold bracelet with a pendant. The girl's feet are decorated with elegant pantalette shoes.
The second character in Manet’s canvas is a dark-skinned maid. In her hands she holds a luxurious bouquet in white paper. Black woman dressed in pink dress, contrasting brightly with her skin, and her head is almost lost among the black tones of the background. A black kitten nestles at the foot of the bed, serving as an important compositional point on the right side of the picture.
The spatial depth of the interior in the painting is practically absent. The artist operates with only two planes: light human figures- in the foreground and a dark interior - in the background.
Two sketches and two etchings from the painting Olympius have survived.
PREDECESSORS OF OLYMPIA:
Olympia" was one of the most famous nude XIX century However, Olympia has many famous examples that preceded it: the image of a reclining nude woman has a long tradition in the history of art. The direct predecessors of Manet’s Olympia are “Sleeping Venus" Giorgione1510 and " Venus of Urbino» Titian 1538 Naked women written on them in almost the same position.
« Sleeping Venus» Giorgione1510 g
« Venus of Urbino» Titian 1538
Direct and open look nude Olympia is already known from “ Mahe Nude" by Goya , and the contrast between pale and dark skin has already been played out in the painting “Esther” or “ Odalisque" by Leon Benouville 1844, although in this painting the white-skinned woman is clothed. By 1850, photography was also widespread in Paris nude lying women.
Goya.Nude swing.1800
Leon Benouville: Odalisque. 1844.
SCANDAL AROUND THE PICTURE:
One of the reasons for the scandalous nature of the painting was its name: the artist did not follow the tradition of justifying the nudity of the woman in the painting with a legendary plot and did not call his nude a “mythological” name such as “Venus” or “Danae”.
The very name that Manet gave the girl is also unusual. A decade and a half earlier, in 1848, Alexandra Dumas published her famous novel “The Lady of the Camellias,” in which the main antagonist and colleague of the heroine of the novel bears the name Olympia. Moreover, this name was a common noun: ladies of the demimonde were often called this way. For the artist’s contemporaries, this name was associated not with the distant Mount Olympus, but with a prostitute.
SYMBOLS IN THE PICTURE:
- In Titian's painting "Venus of Urbino" the women in the background are busy preparing the dowry, which, together with the sleeping dog at the feet of Venus, should mean home comfort and fidelity. And in Manet, a black maid carries a bouquet of flowers from a fan - flowers are traditionally considered a symbol of a gift, a donation. The orchid in Olympia's hair is an aphrodisiac.
- Pearl jewelry was worn by the goddess of love, Venus, and the jewelry on Olympia's neck looks like a ribbon tied on a wrapped gift.
- A sagging kitten with its tail raised is a classic attribute in the depiction of witches, a sign of bad omen and erotic excess.
- In addition, the bourgeoisie were especially outraged by the fact that the model (naked woman), contrary to all norms of public morality, did not lie with her eyes modestly downcast. Olympia appears before the viewer awake, like Giorgion's Venus, she looks straight into his eyes. Her client usually looks straight into the eyes of a prostitute; thanks to Manet, everyone who looks at his “Olympia” ends up in this role.
As soon as Olympia has time to wake up from sleep,
A black messenger with an armful of spring in front of her;
That is the messenger of a slave who cannot be forgotten,
The night of love turns into flowering days:
Majestic maiden, in whom is the flame of passion. (Zachary Astruc)
CONTINUATION OF THE SCANDAL.
Because of Manet's Olympia, one of the most major scandals V art of the 19th century V. Both the plot of the painting and the artist’s painting style turned out to be scandalous. Manet, addicted Japanese art, abandoned the careful elaboration of the nuances of light and dark, which other artists strived for. Because of this, contemporaries were unable to see the volume of the depicted figure and considered the composition of the painting to be rough and flat.
Gustave Courbet compared Olympia to the queen of spades from a deck of cards, just emerging from the bath. Manet was accused of immorality and vulgarity. Antonin Proust later recalled that the painting survived only thanks to the precautionary measures taken by the exhibition administration.
“No one has ever seen anything more cynical than this Olympia,” wrote modern critic. - This is a female gorilla, made of rubber and depicted completely naked, on a bed. Her hand seems to be in an obscene spasm... Seriously speaking, I would advise young women expecting a child, as well as girls, to avoid such experiences."
The canvas exhibited at the Salon caused a stir and was subjected to wild mockery from the crowd, agitated by the criticism that came from the newspapers. The frightened administration placed two guards at the painting, but this was not enough. The crowd, laughing, howling and threatening with canes and umbrellas, was not afraid of the military guard.
Several times the soldiers had to draw their weapons. The painting attracted hundreds of people who came to the exhibition only to curse the painting and spit on it. As a result, the painting was hung in the farthest hall of the Salon at such a height that it was almost invisible.
The artist Degas said:
"The fame that Manet won with his Olympia and the courage he showed can only be compared with the fame and courage of Garibaldi."
WHO SERVED AS THE MODEL FOR THE PICTURE?
The model for Olympia was her beloved Manet's model - Quiz Meurand . However, there is an assumption that Manet used the image of famous courtesan, mistresses Emperor Napoleon BonaparteMarguerite Bellanger.
Portrait of Quiz Meurant's work Edouard Manet, 1862,
Ambroise Vollard described her as a wayward creature who spoke like Parisian street women. From December 1861 to January 1863 she worked as a model in an artist's studio Thomas Couture . Manet met her in 1862, when she was 18 years old. Before 1875Victorina posed for him for numerous canvases, including his masterpieces like " Street singer», « Breakfast on the grass», « Olympia" And " Railway" She was also a model Edgar Degas.
Later she began to have a weakness for alcohol and started love relationship with the model Marie Pellegri , which he told about in his autobiographical novelMemories of my dead life (1906) Manet's friend George Moore. At first ( Velcro) begged in cafes and bars, and then got herself a monkey, dressed in rags, played the guitar on the street and begged for alms.
Margarita Belanger.
She performed as a rider in a provincial circus, lived like kept woman in Angers and Nantes.
In the early 1860s she became the mistress of Emperor Napoleon III (in 1865 their relationship was severed: Margarita claimed that the son born to her in 1864 was not from the emperor; biographers have differing opinions on this matter). Marguerite Bellanger is mentioned in Diary brothers Goncourt (1863).
After 1870, she moved to England, married a wealthy lord, and subsequently left him. She became the heroine of many cartoons of the era, often obscene. She published a book of memoirs (1882).
PICTURE IN CAPRITION:
After the closure of the Salon, Olympia was doomed to almost 25 years of imprisonment in Manet’s art studio, where only the artist’s close friends could see it. Not a single museum, not a single gallery, not a single private collector wanted to purchase it. During his lifetime, Mane never received recognition from Olympia.
A HAPPY ENDING:
More than a hundred years ago, Emile Zola wrote in the Evenman newspaper, “Fate had prepared a place in the Louvre for Olympia and Luncheon on the Grass,” but it took many years for his prophetic words to come true. In 1889, a grandiose exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary was being prepared. anniversary of the Great french revolution, and “Olympia” was personally invited to take pride of place among the best films.
There she captivated a rich American who wanted to buy the painting for any money. It was then that a serious threat arose that France would forever lose Manet’s brilliant masterpiece. However, only the friends of Manet, who had died by this time, sounded the alarm about this. Claude Monet offered to buy Olympia from the widow and donate it to the state, since it itself could not pay. A subscription was opened, and the required amount was collected - 20,000 francs.
All that remained was “a mere trifle” - to persuade the state to accept the gift. According to French law, a work donated to the state and accepted by it must be exhibited. This is what the artist’s friends were counting on. But according to the unwritten “table of ranks” at the Louvre, Manet had not yet “pulled up”, and had to be content with the Luxembourg Palace, where “Olympia” stayed for 16 years - alone, in a gloomy and cold hall.
Only in January 1907, under the cover of darkness, quietly and unnoticed, it was transferred to the Louvre. And in 1947, when the Museum of Impressionism was opened in Paris, “Olympia” took in it the place to which it had the right from the day of its birth. Now the audience stands in front of this painting with reverence and respect.
What about YOU? How would you feel about this picture?
The beauty of the female body has been and remains a desired object for depiction by artists of all times and peoples.
Most of all, picturesque nudity was given to us, of course, by the Renaissance, when the magnificence of naked bodies was vigorously glorified. ancient canons. However, the masters of later times are in no way inferior in skillful presentation female image. The techniques and places against which the maidens were depicted changed, and the muses themselves began to acquire different features over time. But the image feminine nature is still a special topic that excites the consciousness of all fans of natural beauty.
Sandro Botticelli
"Birth of Venus" 1482-1486
Peter Paul Rubens
Rubens was a magnificent portrait painter, painted landscapes and paintings on religious themes, founded the Baroque style, but the general public knows Rubens best from his images of naked women and men, to put it mildly, of not asthenic physique.
"Union of land and water", 1618
"The Three Graces", 1639
Francisco Goya
"Maja Nude", circa 1800
Not everyone knows that Maha is not a name at all, but a name for Spanish common townswomen of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Maha, whose image developed in Andalusia, over time began to be perceived as the quintessence of the Spanish woman. Because of romanticism, picturesqueness, a strong national accent and violent passion.
Eugene Delacroix
"Liberty Leading the People", 1830
Delacroix created the painting based on the July Revolution of 1830, which put an end to the Restoration regime of the Bourbon monarchy. In a letter to his brother on October 12, 1830, Delacroix writes: “If I did not fight for my Motherland, then at least I will write for it.”
There are naked breasts in the picture for a reason. It symbolizes the dedication of the French people of that time, who went bare-chested against the enemy.
Jules Joseph Lefebvre
Lefebvre was a French salon artist who specialized in depicting beautiful girls. It was thanks to the depiction of female beauty that he took a very prominent place as an elegant, although somewhat mannered, draftsman.
"Mary Magdalene in the Grotto", 1836
The painting “Mary Magdalene in the Grotto” has its own special story. After the exhibition in 1876, it was bought by Alexandre Dumas the son. After his death, it was sent to St. Petersburg for an exhibition in 1896. Nicholas II acquired it for Winter Palace and now “Mary Magdalene” can be seen among the treasures of the Hermitage.
Edouard Manet
At the Paris Salon of 1865, the painting caused one of the most big scandals in the history of art. Contemporaries could not see the volume of the depicted figure and considered the composition of the picture to be rough and flat. Manet was accused of immorality and vulgarity. The painting attracted hundreds of people who came to the exhibition only to curse the painting and spit on it. As a result, the painting was hung in the farthest hall of the Salon at such a height that it was almost invisible. How nervous people were in those days.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Renoir is known primarily as a master secular portrait, not devoid of sentimentality; he was the first of the impressionists to gain success among wealthy Parisians. The nude was one of Renoir's favorite genres.
"Nude in sunlight", 1876
First shown at the Second Impressionist Exhibition in 1876, where it received very harsh reviews from critics: “Instill in Mr. Renoir that the female body is not a pile of decaying flesh with green and purple spots, which indicate that the corpse is already rotting in full swing!”
"Big Bathers", 1887
And this picture marked Renoir’s transition from pure impressionism towards classicism and engrism. “Large Bathers” is made with clearer lines, cooler colors, and when painting this painting, Renoir used sketches and sketches for the first time.
Vladislav Podkovinsky
"Female Orgasm", 1894
From the title it is clear that in his work he depicted Polish artist Vladislav Podkovinsky... The exhibition of the painting began with huge scandal and lasted for 36 days. Unable to withstand the pressure, on the 37th day Podkovinsky came with a knife and cut up the entire canvas. The artist died of tuberculosis at the age of 29. After his death, it was decided to restore the painting.
Adolphe-William Bouguereau
John Collier
The range of themes in the paintings of the English painter Collier is very wide. However, it gained the greatest popularity due to its use in true romantic tradition images beautiful women from legends, myths, literature and history as the main theme for his paintings.
Lady Godiva was based on the legend. The naked beauty depicted in the painting (Lady Godiva) begged her powerful and domineering husband (Count Leofric) to reduce taxes on the poor in his domain. To which he offered an almost losing bet. He promised to reduce taxes if his lady rode through the village of Coventry naked on a horse, which his wife did.
Herbert James Draper
"Odysseus and the Sirens", 1909
David Shterenberg
"Nude", 1908
Gustav Klimt
All details related to mythological plot, removed from the picture, leaving only the scene of fertilization by the golden shower into which Zeus turned. The choice of pose and distorted perspective give Danae's body an unusual sexuality.
In no other work has the artist brought female sexuality to such hypertrophy - this is self-absorbed lust.
Herbert James Draper
Herbert James Draper was an artist famous for his works on historical and mythological themes. Although Draper received acclaim during his lifetime, his work is now unfairly forgotten and rarely seen at auction.
"Mountain of Mists", 1912
"Mountain of Mists" is one of the most powerful, sensual and enchanting of all the artist's images. The naked girls presented are as beautiful as Waterhouse's nymphs, although unlike his femme fatales luring men to their deaths.
Boris Kustodiev
Pictorial plasticity, emphasis on the artistry of the model and bright characteristic appearance - these are the main features of Boris Kustodiev’s work.
"Russian Venus" 1925-1926
“Russian Venus” depicts a plump woman in a bathhouse, but unlike the goddess, the naked girl is not surrounded by sea foam, and the steam of the Russian bath. Rainbow bubbles on a wooden bench confirm that this is Venus. The goddess was born from the foam of the Mediterranean Sea! And here in Russia - from bath foam...
Amedeo Modigliani
Modigliani is rightfully considered the singer of the beauty of the naked female body. He was one of the first to depict nudes in a more realistic emotional way. It was this circumstance that at one time led to the lightning-quick closure of its first personal exhibition in Paris. Modigliani's nude paintings are considered the pearl of his creative heritage.
"Seated Nude", 1916
Egon Schiele
Egon Schiele's paintings and graphics are nervous, sophisticated, dramatic and very sexy. Being under strong influence psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud, Schiele gave free rein to his own complexes and doubts in his work, and many of his works were overtly sexual in nature. This was even the reason imprisonment artist for “creating immoral drawings.”
"Nude on her knees", 1917
"Reclining Woman", 1917
Anders Zorn
A Swedish painter and graphic artist who paid special attention to the individuality of the nude model, the originality of her facial expressions, gestures, and facial expressions, which are sharply captured in his works.
"In Werner's rowing boat", 1917
"Reflections", 1889
Zinaida Serebryakova
Zinaida Evgenievna Serebryakova is one of the first Russian women to go down in the history of painting. Using pictorial means, the artist presented the image of a pure female body. Her models did not have an athletic build; there was no rigidity or sharpness in them, but only a smooth harmony with the environment.
In “Bath”, Serebryakova depicted naked women without embellishment; features of idealization appeared in her work later.
“Reclining Nude”, portrait of Nevedomskaya, 1935
IN late creativity Serebryakova became increasingly interested in the theme of works depicting nude models, and Serebryakova remained faithful to the “nude” genre. In “Reclining Nude” she feels that she succeeds in this theme and addresses it constantly.
"Sleeping model", 1941
Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar
Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar is one of the most famous artists in the history of Russian culture of the 20th century. One of his most famous works is the portrait of Flora.
Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov
Another famous Russian artist who, unlike the previous one, dealt with the depiction of rough and simplified erotica.
"Village bathhouse", 1938
The artist wrote many sketches “for himself” on the theme of “Village Bath” over many years. There are several nudes in the picture women's bodies, connected by a complex structural composition. Each figure is an image, an individual character.
Arkady Alexandrovich Plastov
Arkady Plastov - “singer of the Soviet peasantry.” Special attention in his works he paid attention to the patriotic work of women during the Great Patriotic War. The artist captured the colorful image and simplicity in the painting “Tractor Drivers”
"Tractor Drivers", 1943
