The prurient gaze in art

Nude art by Andrey Romanov.

The Yakshi statue in Malampuzha garden in Kerala.

She sits in a straddled posture on the shores of the Arabian sea, impervious to the world around. Her tresses unlocked falling like rain, eyes half-opened and legs stretched out. Her figure is voluptuous with a full bust, slender at the waist and wide at the hips. The curls and curves blend into the backdrop of the weary sky. Yakshi turns 54 this year. For art buffs, the statue is no less than an artistic wonder and for those who are conservative, it’s a cultural shock.

The topic of sexuality can be approached in a variety of ways but perhaps the most valuable one (in terms of foundational understanding) is the convention of female nudity in art. The tracing of the history of art will enable us to uncover the dimensions of gender politics.

Nudity in art is complex as is the representation of the human body in all artistic disciplines. As a state of both physical nakedness and sacred power, the nude figure is an elemental component of the cultural legacy of human civilisation.

The vast differences in the reception of both the human body and the meaning of nudity from prehistoric to modern, from East to West, deepens the layers of cultural accumulations.

Nude figures are found in gendered formations of both male and female in the guises of divinities, heroes, warriors, or mythological beings. This iconology is bequeathed visually from Egyptian monuments, Khajuraho reliefs, Cypriote statues, Indian and Persian miniatures, and classical sculptures.

Over different periods and genres, the voluptuous feminine body in sculptures and paintings came to be endowed with a variety of meanings.

The figures came to be read as symbols of fertility and growth, as the embodiment of a divine maternal spirit or simply as classical ideals. In the process, the sexual form moved from its initial primaeval association with nature and fertility to its later, more complex, divine and aesthetic connotation.

Erotic, sexual and sublime

There is a very thin line between erotic, frankly sexual and the sublime. Moving away from confines often blurs the distinction.

As art historian Kenneth Clark remarks: “The female nude marks both the internal limit of art and the external limit of obscenity… it is the internal structural link that holds art and obscenity and an entire system of meaning together.”

What we derive from this thought is that, by containing female sexuality, the nude symbolises how art transforms nature’s matter into an elevated form of culture.

The artist, then, must master the code of good taste in presenting the nude.

However, it not just depends on the artist’s call but also on the reception of art. The viewer who is “still and whole” contemplates the aesthetic form of the nude to establish a distinction between inner and outer, between self and other.

Jayman Joshi, an artist and illustrator says, “Eroticism is beyond physicality; eroticism is an amalgamation of mind, your imagination, your wishes and fantasies and your societal view. Life and life’s experiences decide what is erotic to you, the central element of eroticism is stimulation and pleasure; which can be
elevated with creativity and imagination. The balance is something you just experience in life and as a creative, I try and do my best to do my life’s experiences justice.”

With simplicity in every stroke, Jayman’s illustrations explore the contours of the body, never shying away from being bold.

The male gaze

Any discussion on the ethics of female nudity in art is incomplete without pointing out one of the most important and frequently used phrases in feminist discourse: the male gaze. While the term is rather self-explanatory, it will be useful to establish a working definition. According to Edward Snow, the male gaze is the notion in which, males as the primary commissioners and intended viewers, ensure feminine subjects are depicted in line with the desires of men. The only aspects of women which are valued and appreciated through art are those which appeal to male viewers, and those which do not are excluded.

The male gaze doesn’t simply allow for women to be sexualised without consequence. What it did was, transformed into a common theme of depicting feminine sexuality as dark and dangerous. Point this out to Jayman and he says, “A lot of creatives use nudity as a crutch to amplify their piece; I think I did too, till a few years ago. The thing with nudity is that it has to have the intention — without intention, it’s just nudity for the sake of it. Historically, nudity has objectified women and being aware of that while simultaneously trying to fight the objectification so that the usage of nudity means something more than just an element to engage the public gaze is very important. People are people everywhere, and art is open to perception, meaning and understanding based on who sees it and when — context is key and context is set by the moment. As a creative, concerning yourself with perception is like predicting the weather, for a year later, of a country you’ve never been to — it’s pointless.”

Neo expressionist Eric Fischl believes that men looking at women is, to some extent, “a genetically engineered reflex for very particular reasons.” To try to make it somehow “an unnatural aspect of being a man” doesn’t make much sense.

“Everything is in your head. Today, rather than arousing desire, contemporary nudes seem to want to break the taboos. Especially those surrounding the body, defying the traditional morals that still govern society. With time, our perception has changed and evolved into a better one. The Internet has made art more accessible, making its reach larger than ever. Our body is beautiful and admirable. My experience with ordinary life helps me paint nature and its dynamics. Art speaks volumes about the society and I am sure my paintings too,” says artist Andrey Romanov.