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The
Human Figure |
Images of the body and its variety of gestures, forms, and attitudes
are used in art to express or represent many different aspects of human
nature and behavior. When an artist portrays the human body, the image
is not a strict imitation of nature but has been interpreted to express
an idea. Even art works in which the body seems true to nature are often
idealized or abstracted. An artist might soften and romanticize the body,
present it in a stark, sober way, or charge it with erotic
overtones. The body can be a starting point from which the artist proceeds
to create an image that bears little resemblance to it. Or the artist may
do the reverse and create an object, like a table or walking stick, that
mimics the form of the human body.
The next section of "Multiple Choices," "The Human Figure," will examine
how the body has served as a means for artistic expression. The works on
view, including the intricately sculpted marble Veiled Rebekeh, as well
as a selection of photographs, show the various ways in which the body
is idealized, abstracted, eroticized and interpreted in art.
