The Naked Nude

by Frances Borzello

Nudes that deliberately behave provocatively and pose awkward how artists portray the body in contemporary art The representation of the nude in art remained for many centuries a victory of fiction over fact. Beautiful, handsome, flawless, its great success was to distance the unclothed body from any uncomfortably explicit taint of sexuality, eroticism, or imperfection. Here Frances Borzello contrasts the civilized, perfected artistic nude of Kenneth Clark’s classic, The A Study in Ideal Form (1956), with today’s raw, uncomfortable, disturbing. Grittier and more subtle, the new nude―both male and female ―confronts us with the hidden issues and contradictions of the body and our relationship to it. Borzello’s story of the nude begins with a tale of life, death, and resurrection, exploring how and why the nude has survived and flourished in an art world that prematurely announced its demise. Subsequent chapters take a thematic approach, exploring the nude in painting, portraiture, sculpture, performance, and body art; in the work of female artists; and in extreme and graphic expressions that intentionally push the boundaries of both art and our comfort zone. 130 illustrations, 116 in color

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps I'd like this book more, maybe 4 stars, if I hadn't read Kenneth Clark's The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form right before it. Clark defined naked and nude as: "To be naked is to be deprived of our clothes...The word nude...carries, in educated usage, no uncomfortable overtone."

What this book has shown me is that very few modern artists know what we want to see. Giorgione's "Sleeping Venus," Degas's "The Tub," or Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" are art. And beautiful. Kiki Smith's "Train," Cindy Sherman's "Untitled (No. 255)," or Sarah Lucas's "Au Naturel," are simply horrible. (Don't Google them with kids behind you.)

But there are good modern nudes. My favorite piece of modern art ever is John Currin's "Honeymoon Nude." Wesselmann's "Great American Nude No. 48," Picabia's "Femmes au bull-dog," or Fischl's "Simon and Anh," are really beautiful.

Too much, though, modern 'art' is crap.

For Dewey, 757.

For 2020 book budget, I spent a hefty $34.43 on this book (yes, still worth it), for a total this year of $197.39.

[jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspirational for observing and conceptualizing your own figurative art practice and habits, I couldn't help but want to write a new artist statement anytime I picked it up. Learned lots of new artists as well and their historical dialogue which is always helpful, though I wish there was more focused depth given to the concept of the "naked nude" rather than insightful but brief mentions throughout the book.

[Fiona Hodgkiss]

This book shows a reasonable history of female and male nudes in art and photography. The first thing you may notice is that the cover image is a fake composite. The book mainly shows nudes as an art form rather than anything sexual or pornographic. This book may be difficult or expensive to obtain.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borzello's main thesis is that while the nude of yesterday was about the idealized form, modern painters/artists (like Saville and Quinn) are more interested in the everyday, realistic body. The author addresses many components of the nude and nudity that have been circulating in my head for a while in a cogent manner.

[Jessie Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book... especially with the photos of the paintings, which gave me a strong visual understanding of the nude throughout history and a touch of contemporary art too. I used a lot of the information to support my thesis paper.

[Mills College Library]

704.9421 B7399 2012