ART HIS 40B Lecture 1: Art History 40B Week 1 - Week 4 Lectures Notes
Document Summary
Western art of the middle ages (ca. The depiction of human bodies is different from the beginning of the middle ages (church) to the end of the middle ages (beauty of the human body). Greek men took pride in their body (they held competitions while nude). However, it was different for greek women. Hesitancy of portraying a woman naked lasted for 200 years. Approaching the end of the middle ages, statues were created with a greater sense of animation and greater accuracy of the structure/anatomy of the human body. The statues represent divinity of the human body (perfection). Adam and eve using both hands to cover themselves. The body was seen as sinful, the cause of temptation. Testament, adam and eve eat the apple from the tree of knowledge, realize their nakedness, and cover themselves. Due to the nudity in this important story, christians associated nudity with sin and the fall of humankind.
