The Nude And The Naked Body

1243 Words3 Pages

This literature review examines the different opinions of 20th and 21st century writers and their ideas on the naked body. It will look into what the nude is in comparison to the naked, and also at power as well as physical perfection. The literature chosen are: Kenneth Clark: 'The Nude: a Study in Ideal Form', John Berger: 'Ways of Seeing', Rosemary Betterton: 'Looking On', Michael Gill: 'Image of the Body and a modern comparison Frances Borzello's ‘The Naked Nude’. All these writers have something to say about the way in which nudity is portrayed and how the subject is viewed accordingly. All authors look into why artists have chosen to depict the nude and explore what this means for feminism, pornography and religion.

Berger, Clark and Gill all see the nude and the naked as different concepts; they all attempt to explain the variation between the two, but Borzello’s opinion is the counter argument towards this as she claims the naked and the nude are interchangeable concepts.
All the authors’ works are interlinked, whether their work inspired another, or they worked together, all their theories stem from each other. Gill was the producer for Clark's TV series on the nude and Clark was the main inspiration for Berger and Borzello to write their books which also both feature a section where they address Clark's book directly.
Kenneth Clark’s 1956 obscurantist book 'The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form' was the basis for all the following books in this literature review. 'The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form' looks into the past to view how the ideal nude was depicted. After writing his book, Clark presented his TV documentary series ‘Civilisation’ which was aired on BBC2 in 1969. It was produced by Michael Gill and was the inspiration f...

... middle of paper ...

...r. The woman is usually posed in a way to entice the viewer, the male presence, and the same ideas are used in advertising in modern day. Sensual eyes have been used in representations of the female nude for many years and can be seen in the expressions of the traditional oil paintings too. Berger illustrates this point by looking at Bronzino's Venus, Cupid Time and Love (1503-1572). The painting depicts Cupid kissing Venus but Venus's body is displayed in a way which has no connection to the kiss. The body is displayed towards the viewer, the man looking at or painting the painting, who we assume still has his clothes on. The image's only purpose is to appeal to his sexuality. Men use the nude artwork to gain reassurance of their own manhood. Even though at first, the painting of the woman may seem centred around the nude model, the female is actually powerless.

Open Document