The transformation of male nudes in the history of art
Far less known than the female nude, the male body has undergone fascinating transformations throughout its more than 2,800 years of history. These are the key moments.
The god
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| Marble statue of Hermes Roman copy of the work attributed to Polykleitos The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
Few people know that the male nude was created a century before the female nude in Ancient Greece, a quintessential homoerotic culture that the Romans later adopted. Male nudes evolved from the kouroi (“young men”) of the 7th century BC, with their long hair and static bodies, to those of the Classical period (5th century BC), with an athletic physique in motion, also known as contrapposto. In Ancient Greece , the idealizing nature of the male nude was profound, given that physical beauty was often associated with goodness, as Plato stated.
The sinner
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Punishment for two adulterers for naked procession through the town 'Livre Juratiore d'Agen' (vellum), 13th century. Bibliothèque Municipale, Agen, France |
In the Middle Ages, with the triumph and rise of Christianity, nudity—both male and female—ceased to be a source of pride, became uncomfortable, and was prohibited by the Church. Associated with original sin and immorality, nudity became shameful. Bodies became slight and slender, far removed from naturalism, and were always portrayed clothed. Nudes were relegated, precisely, to images of punishment.
The Renaissance Man
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Leonardo da Vinci - Vitruvian Man Pen and ink on paper. Accademia Gallery, Venice, Italy |
The Renaissance nude was once again inspired by the aesthetics of Greco-Roman art, thanks to the archaeological discovery of statues from those periods, but with a notable shift brought about by the arrival of humanism. Indeed, earthly life and the human body as its ultimate representation ceased to be merely a prologue to a paradisiacal afterlife , as in the Middle Ages, and became the central focus of human concerns. Consequently, the Renaissance nude became the principal subject in art, as well as a great test where, with its diverse textures, depths, and shadows, the artist displayed their skill and became increasingly involved in anatomical study.
The established man
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Louis Lagrenée - Naked man sitting Red chalk on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
The establishment of art academies throughout Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuries had a profound impact on the male nude. These academies fostered a classical and highly regulated style, emphasizing grand classical and historical themes, and thus the human body was considered a central element of artistic education, valuing a realistic portrayal of strong and heroic figures.
Masculinity questioned
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George Frederic Watts - Endymion Oil on canvas. Private collection |
From the late 18th century onward, in the wake of the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic Wars, which left millions dead, wounded, and maimed, artists turned to a different kind of male body—one that was more brutal or possessed feminine features, such as Girodet's Endymion. This trend persisted until the late 19th century, with academies teaching a realistic, rather than idealized, version of masculinity. Notable examples include the preschool-inspired male figures from England, reminiscent of the medieval period, and the starkly realistic portraits of artists like Courbet and Mijo.
Man changed
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Egon Schiele - Seated Male Nude (Self-Portrait) Oil and opaque color on canvas Leopold Museum, Vienna, Austria |
The avant-garde movements of the 19th and 20th centuries introduced revolutionary changes to the nude: not only was there a departure from established academic tradition in art, but the tissue of the body began to be separated from the nude. Artists like Picasso fragmented the body into pieces, Egon Schiele depicted it in a tortured manner, the German Expressionists painted it within a rainbow, and the Surrealists replaced parts of it with objects. For the first time, it became virtually impossible to identify a specific style of nude. What truly unified the male figure of this period was, precisely, the lack of boundaries.
Man of the masses
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Lucian Freud - Naked Man, Rear View Oil on canvas The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
Male nudes of the late 20th century ranged from the brazenly abstract and expressive figures of Willem de Kooning to the Pop Art and mass culture of Richard Hamilton. Going even further, Keith Haring and Basquiat referenced street art and culture with their body-painting style.
From the last decades of the 20th century to the present day, the body continues to be reinterpreted. The female body, in particular, has long been prey to advertisers seeking to sell anything and everything, with the resulting controversies surrounding the objectification of women. In any case, today's artists not only alter the body but also draw attention to its most uncomfortable qualities and complexities. Artists like Lucian Freud, for example, show us a male body that is almost too real, fleshy, and unsettling. Controversial, political, and sometimes difficult to represent—although we are far removed from ancient Greece in terms of the depiction of nudes—we must not forget that history is an eternal beginning...
A display of male nudes in the GaudiFond collection
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| José Marí Llobet - Male nude from behind with tree |
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| José Marí Llobet - Laocoön |
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| Alberto Pancorbo - Among your things |
