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Monday, July 9, 2012

Il nudo maschile

Speranza

"The changeover to the FEMALE nude in preference to the male nude was NOT the result of the rise of modernism."

"It was, rather, something which took place VERY GRADUALLY over a long period."

"The first group of artists to give the FEMALE nude primacy were the VENETIAN painters of the 16th century, especially GIORGIONE and TIZIANO."

"Giorgione's "Sleeping Venus" in Dresden retains its revolutionary impact as the first 'independent' FEMALE nude in the history of western art, even though technical examination has shown that she was once attended by a figure of Cupid, at some stage painted out."

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"The Republic of Venice, in comparison to her territorial neighbours in the Italian peninsula, was notably SECULAR, resistant to the power and discipline of the Church."

"In addition, Venice was already a resort, famous for the beauty of its courtesans."

"It seems likely that many Venetian nudes are idealised representations of these women."

"The Venetian artists, Tiziano chief among them, developed social types of painting which ambiguously combined different and apparently contradictory impulses."

'Typical are the half-leght representations of the Magdalen, clothed only in her own hair, which emerged in some quantity from Tiziano's studio."

"It seems clear that these were sometimes produced as STOCK items, with no particular client in view -- in fact, the image was a very superior kind of PIN-UP, likely to attract some prince or nobleman passing through Venezia and unwilling to wait while the great artist produced something to order."

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