When considering the nude in the history of Western art, one encounters various paired categories, some of which are closely related to or derivative of others:
Formal Considerations
- Fully unclothed vs. Filmy transparent garments
- Standing vs. Seated, kneeling, or reclining
- Static vs. Kinetic
- Single vs. Multiple figures
- Two-dimensional (painting, drawing) vs. Three-dimensional (sculpture)
- Front vs. Back
Matters of Gender, Religion, and Ideology
- Naked vs. Nude
- Male (Apollo, Christ, Sebastian) vs. Female (Venus, Susannah, Andromeda)
- Celestial (Crystalline) vs. Vulgar (or Natural, Earthy, Vegetable) Apphrodite
- Abstract force of generation (life force) or individuated sexuality
- Northern vs Southern (Classical, Mediterranean) ideal nudes
- Empowered (Venus, Perseus) vs. Victim (Marsyas, Andromeda)
- Mythological (Niobe, Marsyas, Andromeda) Victims vs Biblical Ones (Samson, Christ, martyred saints)
- Mythological (Venus, Apollo) vs. Allegorical (Victory, Sorrow)
Last modified 16 February 2007