

I think that these two pieces are good examples of the difference in the way that nudes are depicted in today’s world when compared with times passed. The lower painting, called “Olympia” by Edouard Manet originated from the mid 1800’s. I think this painting is interesting because it depicts a lady who seems almost perfectly ready to attend a dinner or a ball, equipped with shoes, jewelry and even a flower in her hair; missing nothing but one thing – her clothes! Like many other nude paintings from this time period, the subject is perfectly posed and docile, perhaps like the women of this time. This is in sharp contrast with the painting above, a modern piece by a small-time artist, Mark Lahm. Titled, “Nude behind glass,”; the subject of this painting seems anything but tame. The energy of the woman depicted in this painting is reflected by its dark lines and intense brush strokes and is in sharp contrast to the paleness of the woman of the first painting. The claustrophobia, frustration and anger that is latent in this painting’s subject is almost animalistic, compounded by her nakedness and as such may represent the anguish that many women feel in society today.
No comments:
Post a Comment