The nude has remained an enduring source of fascination for artists and collectors alike since the Renaissance era. Nude portraits have historically been regarded as a true test of an artist’s skill—the more perfectly an artist could capture the idealised human form, the greater their talent was judged to be. The appeal of the nude is naturally entangled with sexuality, with many artists deliberately positioning their audience as a voyeur–observing without participating. 

The nude remains an important symbol for the interpretation of an artist’s work. The handling of a nude intimately reflects an artist’s perspective on gender and identity, similarly mirroring the social context of their era. By looking at a nude, we become both voyeur and subject, entangled in the politics of the gaze that defines the genre.

Learn more about the nude here.