Nudity Endless Source Of Inspiration In Art Creation
Human is the Nature's most beautiful work of art creation. Human bodies, especially those of women, have become figures of shaping artis since the time immemorial. Literature of the Arcame School wrote: "Women are creation of the universe, the content of the world, and special forms of bodies. In women, there are forms of all, all living things in the world...". Carvings on cave walls, nude statues of Venus from ancient time bearing full of reproductive nature have affirmed the eternity of the beauty of human bodies. Over centuries, many artists have taken human bodies at the main figures for their art creation. Nude statues of legendary gods are the highest honor given by the artists to the world. Nude works created by artists not only show the outsides of the objects, but also their spirits and insides. Via the language of shapes, viewerrs may understand the sentiment, character of the creators, and the objects.
Vietnam Artist Ngo Minh Cau
Many Asian countries were affected by harsh feudalism, but they had many works of arts praising nudity; such countries include China,Japan, India....
In Vietnam, nude woman figures were seen on Bronze Drum face , decorative, handles of knives, handles of swords from the age of Bronze Drum. Although a country influenced by Confucianism, Vietnam had many nude figures created by its artists on folk wooden paitings, or in rural communal houses. Works of nude arts are truly a lofty and godly idea and desire that a man wishes to achieve.
Since the opening of Indochinese Fine Arts School (1925), nude painting has become a basic and the most important subject. Via human bodies, people not only study the structure, status, but also the beauty of lines, shapes, and their harmonious movement in space. Painters of the early classes of the School such as Nguyen Phan Chanh have had many beautyful nude paintings. By the use of sofl silk, he painted the sexy, elegant and godly lines of "Bathing Fairy of Beauty". We can also see the strong, simple but very romantic lines in his "Hidden Moon" or "Clear Moon".
Painter To Ngoc Van was famous for his many oil-on-canvas paintings about Hanoi girls; however, during the French Resistance time, after witnessing many plights of women during war time, he painted the famous lacquered work "When the enemy was away" with moving images of nude women after an enemy's raid. Painter Bui Xuan Phai was known for his many paintings about ancient quarters, but also had various paintings of nude women with complex metaphor such as "Nude woman with a drum", "Nude woman with the city". Painter Nguyen Van Ty used different broken pieces of egg shells and sharpness of black lacquer, gold and silver to create the fairness of women's skin, suggesting viewers' mind to the painting "Venus, born from the Sea" by painter Botticelli. Succeeding painters of previous generation, many later painters have used nudity as their main figures in their works.
Vietnam Artist Nguyen Quoc Dung
As for occidental arts, perfect and exemplary works of arts were the statues and relieves of Greece from 4th and 5th century B.C. Venus and Apollo statues influenced the new age in Occidental arts, arts of renaissance. Standards of human bodies were studied by artists and formed the science of anatomy, which later became basic subject in Occidental arts schools and influenced heavily the later arts training schools. Many works of nude arts by art masters such as "Last Judgment Day" by Michelangelo, "Adam and Eva" by Durer, "Birth of Venus" by Botticelli, "Kidnapping the daughter of Leucippus" by Rubens, "Bathing Venus" by Velazquez, "nude Maja" by Goya, "Turkish bathhouse" by Ingres... have become models, forming background for many later artists' creation.
Nude figures become main characters of painting and sculpture works. Nude figure representing the "freedom that leads people" by Delacroix is a great work affirming that nude figures, like other normal ones, play extremely important role in works of arts. Nude figures in painting works also witness many ups and downs. Goya's "Nude Maja" caused the Court of Churches to react violently and Goya made a famous statement: "naked body of a woman is the perfect work of Creation, and the obscene thought about the nakedness is the product of scoundrel nature".
Vietnam Artist Phuong Quoc Tri
Although not an impressionist painter ; Manet's painting "A meal on grass" with a nude female body in the major part of the painting caused much discomfort for critics and public . People were familiar with the images of nude goddesses , and were hard to accept it when Manet presented such a highly real modern woman . Manet could not be accepted by his time because he surpassed all conventions of it . Today , viewing that painting with the brightly beautiful nude body of a woman below a tree canopy , which exuded luring beauty , makes us question why it was not recognized before . Bathing nudity is the subject exploited by many painters . Cezanne , Matisse , Picasso ... were important painters in modern fine arts , who painted the same topic of bathing nude women , but each one demonstrated a different position and attitude . Cezanne tried to describle impact of light on different surfaces . Bathing nude woman were mixed with landscape , but remained in strong structure ; each shape and colors in his paintings had intrinsic strength , generating the breakthrough of a new form . Matisse discovered a highly decorative world with bathing nude woman , dancing nude women , contrast colors and delicate lines to give us the felling of innocence and brightness . Picasso had endless power of creation and excellent shaping capacity and a delicate cognizance , and he not only created the painting "Avignon girls" , but also made many reforms in painting , in which women had heavy influence on his creative style .
Vietnam Artist Pham Thanh Vinh Phong
The 20th century saw many big changes , and appearance of many schools . Painters of most schools showed their interest in the topic of nudity . Modigliani - an Italian expressionist , painted nude women in many positions : lying , sitting , in which women's bodies were stretched to lok very sexy and attractive with simplified shapes and delicate curves . Schiele - Australian expressionist - had many single and couple nude paintings , in which the nude figures expressed their plight , pains and illness . The element of lines in his paintings was comprehensively exploited . Delvanx , a Belgian surrealist , created many paintings with moving nude figures in a mysterious dark space ; the figures were like walking dreamers . In the painting "Nude Downstair" by Duchamp - a French Dadaist , the nude women looked like moving machines . Leger ; a French Cubist , admired the harmony between man and industrial mechanization, so the nude women in his paintings always had shiny shape and clear structure like machines ;the strong simplicity and radiant colors created the attractiveness of his paintings . Lucian Frend , an UK neo-realist , depicted many nude images of men and woman by his strong and naked strokes . The nuances of delicate and colorful flesh , thick and full blocks enticed viewers . De Kooning , Dutch American abstract expressionist , with his liberal and madly violent strokes , and strong vitality , created many paintings "Nude Woman I , II , III ..." full of joys , eager and lust . Talented techniques and high suggestiveness of the strokes have created much moving power for the works.
Vietnam Artist Nguyen Quang Vinh
Nudity is also seen in many paintings the scenes of couple love. Oriental or Occidental painters painted many paintings on this topic. Japanese painters of the 18th and 19th century might be the most successful. Unique wood carvings depicted intercourses of couples have been masterpieces until now; which are not only the beauty of body movements, but also the manifestation of serious science of all that is related to sexual instinct and its expressions.
Vietnam Artist Bui Ngoc Tu
Painting works art first and foremost the dream, reflecting unconscious wishes. The authors sent into them their sacred feelings memories, beautiful moments or impressions of their past or presence. They also give viewers opportunities to remember their hidden memories. Painting is a high-class art, combining the power of reality with the greatest aspiration and changes. It is the art that turns normal worldly man into a romatic and godly one. The passion for creation, the love for life will help artists transfer their love world to viewers. Nudity will always the most beautiful figure, love dearly by artists, who want to make it exist forever. The idea of having a book printed about the topic of nudity is a necessary and timely one, satisfying the demand of today'spublic.