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Sleeping Venus * This was one of the last paintings by Giorgione before he died in 1510. It was unfinished at his death, so his student Titian completed the landscape and sky. (Tidbit: This classic pose inspired a score of later artists, and many experts credit it as one of the earliest examples of modern art.)
Venus of Urbino * Although this was clearly inspired by Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus, Titian’s Venus is much more sensual and warm. Did you notice the maid in the background who looks like she’s frantically searching for something to cover her mistress? (Tidbit: Titian was so famous for his use of the color red that “titian red” is sometimes used to describe red hair.)
Olympia * Three centuries later, Manet clearly drew his inspiration from Titian when he painted Olympia. It was very controversial when it debuted, and became a cause célèbre for the young painters who eventually created Impressionism. (Tidbit: The reclining woman is a demimondaine [courtesan] waiting for a client. Also, did you notice the little black cat at the foot of the bed?)   69 votes
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24 Responses to “Art History Week: Two Venuses and a Courtesan”
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i don’t know how true this is, but in the 1800’s and before if you ever saw a full figured woman did that usually mena she had/came from money? i only ask because in the very few paintings i have seen most of the women are fuller of figure. not like the walking skeleton that has become so popular.
could be but that wasn’t the intention. during that times it was more like “the rounder the better” the more children she could bear.
Both of them are signs of affluence. Before the advent of modern nutrition, it was pretty rare for a woman to be curvy–because most women didn’t get that much to eat. A heavy woman was one who was rich: she not only had an excess of food, but an excess of time to sit around and get fat in. Today, we look for the same things, but in opposite directions. A woman who is stick-thin isn’t (at least in theory) underfed; it’s that she has lots and lots of leisure time in which to go to the gym and work out like a fiend. But either way, it shows this woman is affluent.
Context matters. =)
I can just visualize the scene in the Manet…
“Would you like me to pet your pussy? Then get that d*&^@# cat off the bed!”
(apologies to Johnny Carson)
Keep ‘em coming, Nick. I’m really enjoying this.
Many of the “classic” painters painted the female form plump. “Full figure” is misleading in today’s vocabulary as it usually refers to large breasted and large women (although I do wonder about plump now. lol). Notice that the breasts are not very large but the hips, belly and thighs are rounder and, well, plumper? I looked up the definition and it says: full-fig·ured -adjective
Definition: fleshy and rounded: having a fleshy rounded body, or designed to be worn by somebody, especially a woman, with a fleshy rounded body.
The large hips, curving belly and placement of the hand,(Titian’s Venus almost looks as if she’s masturbating), draws the eye to the sensual (and hidden)part of the woman. Breasts are everyday sights. Feeding the kids, washing clothing and having a wet blouse, no big deal (then) it’s and udder. The vagina, aaaah, secret, hidden, where life comes from… What every man (and a few women I suppose) spend nine months trying to get out of and most of the rest of their lives trying to get back into.
Did anyone notice there is NO pubic or underarm hair?
Being smooth was very popular back in the day. They took it so far that the Mona Lisa does not even have eyebrows. Look closely sometime.
damn, I never noticed.
I agree with many of the other posts. I like ladies with some padding, but not obese. Don’t like bony girls, cause I don’t like getting poked by sharp objects. Please keep my art education going forward.
“Also, did you notice the little black cat at the foot of the bed?”
Yeah, you expect me to take my eyes off the beautiful naked woman to look at a bloody black cat? I’m lucky I saw the maid in that picture.
HA! Did you look at her expression? To me it’s “You are looking at my beautiful tits aren’t you?”. Ummm, well DUH!
You “missed” Goya’s “Naked Maja,” which orients the nude head right.
How did you get those scans, Nick? BEAUTIFUL, and THANK YOU!
Best regards-
Nick
I watch too much porn.
All I could think of seeing the two Venus paintings was ‘They have just finished diddling themselves haven’t they?’
Not that there is anything wrong but why couldn’t they let me watch at least. I promise I won’t eat popcorn this time!
Spanker’s comment about underarm and pubic hair got me thinking and wondering about social trends. I notice that in Giorgione’s and Manet’s “Venuses”, plus Botticelli’s from yesterday, that the women seem to have no body hair below the neck, in terms of arm and leg hair. Titian’s rendition seems to show a darker shading and less defined line for the lower legs and upper arm which may be the model’s body hair, but other parts of the model in the stronger light midsection are shown with clearly defined body lines.
Do any art history buffs know if it was common practice for early artists doing nudes to have their models shaved smooth to enhance body lines? Or did they just not show body hair for an esthetic or church-ordered reason, and did they just ‘remove’ the hair while painting the model?
If the answer is the models shaved off body hair, how common a practice was it for women in the eras the painters worked to shave body hair? I thought the trend towards women shaving their legs was a relatively new one, from the late 1800’s on. Shaving is so common-place nowadays that seeing a woman with unshaved legs or underarms is a bit unusual and almost a personal statement.
Check out Goya’s Nude Maja… her carpet matches the drapes.
http://xahlee.org/Periodic_dosage_dir/lacru/_p/goya/Nudemaja.jpg
Not unusual from the 1400s forward for women and men for that matter to save their pubic hair because of lice. They would take the hair to the local wig maker and have a “merkin” made. This was a “wig” as it were that was used for sexual stimulation rubbing it in the body. Ask me how I know – when I was about 13 my mischievous dad had me ask the wig maker in Historic Williamsburg, Virginia if they made merkins. I had no idea what I was asking, but much to my young embarrassment the lady explained in full detail. And, no she didn’t make them any more.
Thanks for the info. I’m not sure how much I’d like to play with a merkin.
In the era of those paintings people who were plump, if not outright fat were considered healthy and wealthy. This signified you were well to do and could afford to eat well making you healthier.
From my perspective the slightly plump belly on these paintings along with the nice smallish breasts to my eyes are magnificent. Quite the turn on for me.
Nick, thank you for dedicating some time to these master pieces of art.
And, no, I do not mind if the cat watches….
Looking forward to tomorrow
As for all the comments about full figured women I have to wonder if Jean-Paul Reuben is coming later this week.
“While Titian was mixing rose madder,
His model reclined on a ladder;
Her position, to Titian,
Suggested coition,
So he leapt up the ladder and had ‘er.”
Excellent stuff. The banter about the pieces is also quite educational. I’ve seen Venus de Milo and quite a few Rodin and Michelangelo pieces. I assume David will appear soon. I haven’t seen him yet in person. That will be a great day when it comes.
BTW, I love the Realists and Dutch masters. I don’t recall any Venus nudes from any of them. Am I wrong? I think those intricate strokes and dark palettes would lend themselves to a nude well.
looks like the cat does Not like the lady’s customer