Greek Female Nude

The Unveiling of the Female Nude In Ancient Greek Art

By Audrey Ancell

ART 499
Ken Price
9 December 2014 Nudity is one of the most natural states for the human body. Humans are born often almost completely nude, without a great deal of hair or fur unlike many other mammals. Bathing and often mating rituals showcase the human body in the same light. Throughout history, however, views toward this natural state of the human body have changed with sophistication of society and culture. The biggest proof of this view lies within the realm of art. It seems that as society progressed, the amount of clothing increased and anatomy shown decreased for many cultures. In Ancient Greece, however, the naked male figure was marveled and celebrated for
its beauty. It was seen as the epitome of perfection, often showing athlete bodies thus disqualifying the female form from being shown in the same light. The acceptance of the female nude in Ancient Greek artwork took a much different path than the nude male figure due to severe gender dichotomies, making it extremely difficult for artists to explore this subject without ridicule. The Aphrodite of Knidos (Figure 1) by Praxiteles sparked an evolution of the portrayal of the female nude in art and in turn affected the societal view of women as a whole among Greek culture. Without this work, and the work that set the stage for this piece, Greek art may have progressed in a different matter. In prehistoric times, the female nude was a common motif in small talisman-like figures representing fertility and renewal of life.
The Venus of Willendorf (Figure 2) is the perfect example, with her full breasts, protruding stomach and wide hips and legs, she represents all aspects of a good child-bearing woman. As society developed and clothing became more and more integrated into the views of the human body, the nude figure began to disappear. Women and men alike were being depicted clothed and the anatomical structure of the body was more concealed. The Greeks were one of the first cultures to began exploring the naked human body, but due to gender superiority only male figures were explored. The gender dichotomy in this culture drew a line between men and the “other”. Men and women were defined as being exact opposites1. Something that is inherently male could not be possessed by a female and vice versa. Men needed the “other” to define what being a man
was. This split the treatment of men and women in art drastically, almost as if they were separate species. Good and bad works of art were defined by these traditional gender roles, leaving little to no room for change. Male athletes participated in the nude, providing an easy transition toward displaying the nude male figure in art. Being nude came to represent bravery, strength, and courage which in turn lead to nudity being a masculine quality of Greek artwork. The male body was beautiful and perfect. It was a symbol of human sexuality and power, making it completely untouchable by the female figure.2 Women could not be athletes, therefore they couldn’t be sexually aggressive or powerful. Women were vessels of reproduction, and that was mostly it. To expose a woman’s body would be shameful and indecent. However, this standard did not stick. Slowly things began to change, and the female body was beginning to be explored. This started mostly during the Archaic Age, which spanned from 750 to 479 BCE. Societal structure was very patriarchal, even with the democratic structure of government. Women were mostly to remain out of the public eye, with the exception of prostitutes. Prostitutes were included in symposiums, or drinking parties where men would meet and debate and revel with other men. Prostitutes were the only women allowed to be present at such events. It is not surprising then that these women were some of the first to be featured in the nude in some works. Respectable women would never be shown nude in the artwork of this time. One example is an Attic vase titled the Nude Dancer (Figure 3)3. Unlike male nude figures of the time, her pose is submissive. She stands slightly hunched over, bowing her head as she holds out a cup from her body. These vases were not very common, but it was the start of a transformation in how the female body was seen. More common portrayals of the female figure and how she was represented can be seen in korai figures that were often used as grave markers or as votive offerings to the gods. Here there were drastic difference between the way women and men were handled. Kouros figures, the male version of these statues, were shown as an idealized nude males at the peak of their youth and health. These statues were often frontal facing with one foot ahead of the other and displayed the classic Archaic smile of this time period. The biggest difference between kouros figures and kore figures, the female version, were that the latter is always shown clothed. Where male figures of the time were carefully studied and sculpted to portray a believable male bodies, women were shown in tubular skirts and loose tops that gave almost no indication of the female form.
Artists would sometimes show a slight bulge for breasts but this was the extent of the exploration of the female form for quite some time. The Peplos Kore (Figure 4) is a perfect example of this style. She is parthenoi, meaning that she has reached the physical maturity of womanhood but is unmarried.4 This age of adolescence is where Greeks felt women were at their peak of beauty and health.“A girl on the edge of womanhood was viewed as enchanting; she was to be adorned with clothing and jewelry like a doll, in a manner in which Pandora was first fashioned and then ornamented to be a bride for Epimetheus.” said Ellen D. Reeder in Pandora. The Greeks were somewhat fascinated with youth and sexual curiosity, but were only allowed to explore this curiosity through art. While only subtly during the Archaic Age, these kore figures showed women in a very different light than the way women were actually expected to be.5 The Peplos Kore commands to be seen. She stares straight ahead with authority, while women were expected to cast their gaze downward, in modesty and
respect. This began to change toward the Late Archaic Period. As can be seen in the Kore from the Acropolis (Figure 5), clothing began to hug the female form more tightly. The subtle curves of a woman’s body were starting to be explored and her facial features were getting more realistic in terms of proportion. The statue was carved to give a “fleshy” impression, making the form more believable. Women who were respectable in society would not dare to dress or look as commanding as this kore, and were expected to cover up the qualities that were completely woman.6 There still were no fully nude female sculptures at this time, but the groundwork was starting to appear for further examination of the “other”. During the Classical Age, the showing of the female form through fabric became even more prominent as artists began honing in their skills and were now able to carve hyper realistic forms. Men still remained superior to women in society, and the male form still encompassed the highest peak in beauty, but the exploration of the female form was creeping its way into acceptance through the use of goddesses and nikes as subjects. They were often dressed in almost oversized clothing that clung to their bodies as if it was wet. This stylistic quality allowed for a much greater amount of the female body to be perfected. Some statues, such as the Nike of Paionios (Figure 6), included slits in the skirt of the figure’s clothing to expose part of her leg. This would be completely frowned upon if displayed on a woman of respect, but the use of goddesses and other mythical beings made it more easily accepted. These works, along with many works similar to this, paved the way for one very influential artist who decided to defy the rules. Praxiteles took over five years to chisel his Aphrodite at Knidos (Figure 1), perfectly placing every aspect of her body to seem as if she was not expecting the viewer. She is completely nude and in the pudica, “modest”, pose that is also “s” shaped as in contrapastos. Her back is somewhat hunched over and her head down a tilted slightly. Her hand is perfectly placed to cover her pubic area.7 Displaying female genitalia was seen as over sexually aggressive, and this became a common pose seen throughout Greek artworks after this piece8. Women in society towards the middle of the fourth century were still treated the same as had been. They were expected to be submissive and coy, with the exception of Spartan women. Spartans believed that in order to have strong boys you have to have strong women, and women were expected to run things while the men were off training. Other than in Sparta however, most women were not held to this regard. Nudity was reserved for divinities that were viewed as sex symbols.9 Praxiteles changed the way that the female body was seen in art. It brought women to a more equal place with men but still maintained differences that related to how both sexes were viewed in society as well. These bodies were still very idealized and based on mathematical ratios to represent complete perfection. The female nude carried on from that piece, normalizing its place in Greek art. When the Hellenistic Age began, artists started to gravitate toward more individualized subjects. The idealized images seen before eventually led to subjects of everyday people and showcased some intense emotion. Praxiteles was a revolutionary in the way that the female body was represented in Greet art. Without his contributions, it may have taken longer to normalize the female nude, and many artworks after him may have never been made.