The Female Body

The female body is worshipped the whole world over. It has been painted and sculptured in more ways than one. Sometimes it is beautiful and other times it is ugly. The women are either naked or clothed in art. Young or old, thin or curvy, women are always painted or sculptured for mankind to enjoy. The female form has been mocked and praised for many centuries. It is the most powerful thing to behold in art. But how did the woman’s body become so well-known? Why do mankind love to see the image of the female body in art so much? The Greeks and Etruscans really brought the woman’s body into the light. They were the ones who brought out the beauty of women in art. But how was the method carried out? One way to answer that question is to look into the art of the Greeks and Etruscans way back then.

At first, the women were kept modest. It was the men that were naked. It was real pride for a man to show off his naked body in the art world. Ancient Greece was a man’s world. The men owned and ruled the land in those times. It would seem that as if the women were seen as pure and clean. Only their husbands were supposed to see them naked. Lady of Auxerre on pg. 105, Peplos Kore on pg. 108, and Kore on pg. 108 in my art text book are all clothed. One cannot see an ounce of nudity anyway. It can also be said that women were weaker than men. For that reason, men were allowed to show off their naked bodies while women remained clothed. Even the goddesses had clothes on. It would seem no matter how much power a woman had, she was still a second-class citizen to the men. It seems unfair, but that was how it was been in ancient Greece.

But then came the Late Classical period in Ancient Greece. This time was women’s rights in full in the art world. Aphrodite of Knidos on pg. 137 and Venus de Milo in my art text book both featured naked women. This was a shock to the world at that time. The goddess of beauty and love was naked! This seems obscured. Also, it seemed revolutionary. These statues were telling women to stand up and be proud of their bodies. Even though their faces are bland, the ladies seem happy to be in the nude. The fact that the subjects were goddess in completely inspiring. And the best part is the goddess of choice is Aphrodite. Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty and love. Now having the goddess of beauty and love naked is a boost of confidence to all of the women in ancient Greece. So in a since, Aphrodite was a feminist in the world of art. But nudity was not the only way women became independent in art. In one statue, Sarcophagus with Reclining his Wife, a woman is lying on a couch with his sister. Women were free in Etrusca. They seemed to be treated equally. The Sarcophagus with Reclining his Wife shows that perfectly well. Man and wife are perfectly equal lying together. Some would call this an audacity back then. Most of the people today would not think much about Etruscan women did not think much about their actions either. They just live and enjoy their days.

The female body has come a long way. It used to be hidden and looked down upon. The Greeks and Etruscans really started the female revolution in the art world. After much repair and evolution, the female body has become the whole center of the glorious art world that is known today.