Image: Norman Lindsay, Australia (1879-1969)
The Olympians 1927
Oil on canvas
Purchased with the E.S. McLeod Bequest 0909
Date
13 July – 1 September 2019
Central to the development of art over the millennia is the naked body. A persistent yet shifting art form acquiring new meaning through successive generations, tells the story of beauty, desire and scandal.
Immerging from the middle ages the body was depicted using three dimensional techniques, forming vibrant life like portrayals of the nude body. Italians returned to influences of ancient Roman and Greek art and the north European artists refined techniques exploring the use of oil paint and texture to express an unprecedented truth.
As artists aspirations soared, art developed through the centuries with a notable sensuality and variation of response to the imagery of nudity. This exhibition examines the elements which led to the development of Western art, shifting shape and acquiring new meaning through successive generations, of provocateurs and continued response to the human body.