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Gustave Courbet's Reclining Nude Essay

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Gustave Courbet's Reclining Nude

In the Philadelphia Museum of Art are five paintings by Gustave Courbet; of all of these I found Reclining Nude (1868, Oil on canvas, The Louis &
Stern Collection, 63-81-20) the most interesting. It depicts a nude woman lying on the beach beneath a billowing canopy. A dark, but tranquil sea is in the background. The sky is dark as if the final rays of the sun were disappearing over the horizon. There are a few clouds in the sky, they are dark but not threatening. The picture is very dark in general and there is no obvious light source. The edges of the painting are so dark it is impossible to tell what the nude reclines against.

A very dim light falls on the woman, who lies on her …show more content…

It is not covered enough, however, for one to believe she has any shame for appearing in so public a place in such a position; this, too, would have been found scandalous in the 1860's. Now, however, compared to such displays of sexuality and nudity as found in magazines such as
Penthouse and Playgirl or X-rated movies, the picture is perceived as a modest, proper display of sexuality. Today there is nothing offensive about the woman's display of sexuality.

One other reason that the critics and public would have found this picture offensive is that to them this is not a display of nudity, but a display of nakedness. The woman is perceived as naked rather than nude, because she is not in a classical setting or an important person portrayed in a classical setting. This is not a picture of a nude Venus rising from the sea foam or a nude Psyche with her adoring Cupid. This woman is not even a rich patroness being portrayed in one of the classical settings.
This woman could be any fair-haired woman;whe is a common woman, most likely the artist's mistress or even a prostitute. Her nudity is for sensual display, not for classical purposes, therefore it was perceived as nakedness and therefore obscene.

Though the woman in combination with her surroundings may have been offensive, there is nothing offensive about her surroundings alone. The setting is a beach at nightfall. In the foreground one sees a bright scarlet cloth lying on a

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