The female nude in European art

[tuskerwilliams]

This is new thread to be devoted to pictures of a non-pornographic nature of the female nude, there being a very rich tradition of such portrayals in European art. In any medium, oil-painting, pastel, drawings, lithographs or whatever. Could you please include no more than one artist in a single post. As well as full nudes, pictures of semi-clothed women can be included, the only real limitation being that no men should be present! Quality and choice more important than quantity, a single work better than a mass of unmemorable ones.

To kick off, here are some paintings from a rather attractive series in the Royal Academy in London, originally attributed to William Etty (1787-1849), and surely originating in his circle:

[tuskerwilliams]

Nicolas Lavreince, a lady getting out of bed, watercolour, 1776:

[tuskerwilliams]

Gustav Klimt, six drawings:

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François Boucher, La Jupe relevée (The Raised Skirt), 1742:

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Jean-Simon Berthélemy (history painter, 1743-1811), woman in bed:

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Fragonard, the servant girls' dormitory, the pair in the middle are inspecting one another's charms:

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Some Victoriana. The first is an anonymous painting in a Pre-Raphaelite style of a lady in sort of ancient equivalent of a see-through nightie. More refined equivalents were common in Victorian art and also in French academic painting. To keep on this side of the channel a very fetching Roman lady by Albert Moore (detail of the painting entitled Silver), and then some nymphs of springs by Lord Leighton and Alfred William Waterhouse.

[tuskerwilliams]

Giuseppe de Nittis, nude in red stockings:

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Paul-Émile Bécat, mostly in front of the mirror:

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Paul Quinsac, of Bordeaux, academic painter 1858-1929, femme en extase:



I suppose this might be entitled 'falling out of bed':