Journal

By Andrew Bay, UK


160 years ago in 1863, Edouard Manet scandalised the art world with his painting "Olympia," depicting a luscious Parisian brothel 'fille de joie' and her black maid. It's been abundantly clear, since Manet opened the gates of modernity with "Olympia," that nudity isn't merely a peripheral aspect of art. It's a profound, timeless framework aptly designed to explore complex societal constructs such as aesthetics, resplendence and eroticism. Notable contemporary artists such as  Araki Nobuyoshi, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Helmut Newton, have contributed significantly to this discourse, unraveling the historical significance of the nude form in their artistic praxis. Throughout History, the evolution of the representation of nudity embraced cultural nuances which reflected the historicaland ideological landscapes of their time, from Ancient Greece to the Renaissance.