Kenneth Clark ("Civilization") once pointed out that nakedness is you or me getting out of the bath; the Nude is a category that is created for us in Art, and made as appealing to us as possible. In this day and age of the magazine and film and a million images a day confronting us of women in every state of undress and uninhibited erotic posture, how could anyone still paint a nude that might appeal to anyone any more?
A nude who is static, without movement or flashing lights, without implication of masturbation or penetration? Without hype? Who could paint a nude that might still please, fascinate, captivate and finally even satisfy the viewer?
That has been my challenge and a voyage of discovery for nearly fifty years. And during that time, as I have painted, and more historians have theorized, and art has sunk to lower levels than anyone ever dreamed might be possible, the wonderful works I have mentioned in this blog have remained quietly on the walls of the great museums in which they are housed, still beautiful, glorious and perfect in their way. Anthony Christian
A nude who is static, without movement or flashing lights, without implication of masturbation or penetration? Without hype? Who could paint a nude that might still please, fascinate, captivate and finally even satisfy the viewer?
That has been my challenge and a voyage of discovery for nearly fifty years. And during that time, as I have painted, and more historians have theorized, and art has sunk to lower levels than anyone ever dreamed might be possible, the wonderful works I have mentioned in this blog have remained quietly on the walls of the great museums in which they are housed, still beautiful, glorious and perfect in their way. Anthony Christian
