ART 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Nudity, Courtly Love, Art Nouveau
Document Summary
Various forms of this attitude have survived in western culture today; however, in other cultures, sex and physical passion are something to be celebrated. Example: erotic wall: physical love is frankly acknowledged as an important part of life in hinduism; sex is a means of reaching a state of well-being. This wall of erotic sculptures near a hindu. Watch youtube video on bronzino"s allegory of love. Q: how does bronzino"s an allegory with venus and cupid reflect this trend to remove sex from the public sphere: this painting seems to offer an admonition about the short-lived rewards of erotic love. It celebrates erotic love even as it warns against it. (slide 6) Traditional paintings of reclining nudes are coded for strong visual and erotic impact. This woman is the objects of our gaze because it is not a specific person; rather, it is a western male fantasy image of a harem women.
