Human body

Photography, Untitled #4, Josef Nadj

Untitled #4

Josef Nadj

Photography - 9.8 x 11.8 inch

£983

Photography, Untitled #3, Josef Nadj

Untitled #3

Josef Nadj

Photography - 9.8 x 11.8 inch

£983

Painting, Joy, Anika Manuel

Joy

Anika Manuel

Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

£600

Photography, Diane Kruger III, Bruno Fournier

Diane Kruger III

Bruno Fournier

Photography - 18.1 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

£1,340

Print, Opera Grafica 6, Marino Marini

Opera Grafica 6

Marino Marini

Print - 27.6 x 19.7 inch

£1,608

Painting, Anatomy: Class VII, Dominik Jasinski

Anatomy: Class VII

Dominik Jasinski

Painting - 39.4 x 19.7 x 1 inch

£2,501

Painting, Achromatopsie, Vast

Achromatopsie

Vast

Painting - 37.8 x 37.8 x 1.2 inch

£1,697

Sculpture, En suspens, Yoann Merienne

En suspens

Yoann Merienne

Sculpture - 8.5 x 20.5 x 6.3 inch

£6,253

Painting, Carrers de Reus, Coia Ibañez

Carrers de Reus

Coia Ibañez

Painting - 13.2 x 7.5 inch

£469

Painting, Althéïse, Yoann Merienne

Althéïse

Yoann Merienne

Painting - 63 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

£7,861

Painting, Monica et Sophia, Herve Malcom Thomas

Monica et Sophia

Herve Malcom Thomas

Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.8 inch

£1,653

Painting, Deuxième prix, Matthew Rose

Deuxième prix

Matthew Rose

Painting - 16.5 x 11.8 inch

£1,429

Print, Champ de l'herbe, Ghislaine Ferreira

Champ de l'herbe

Ghislaine Ferreira

Print - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

£447

Photography, Lost & Found, Théo Gosselin

Lost & Found

Théo Gosselin

Photography - 23.6 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

£1,965

Painting, White light, Laura Newman

White light

Laura Newman

Painting - 40.2 x 29.9 inch

£5,750

Painting, Paesaggio, Alexander Daniloff

Paesaggio

Alexander Daniloff

Painting - 12.2 x 15.7 x 0 inch

£348 £297

Photography, Corazon y alma, James Sparshatt

Corazon y alma

James Sparshatt

Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

£621

Fine Art Drawings, Poésie 29, Yanne Kintgen

Poésie 29

Yanne Kintgen

Fine Art Drawings - 11 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

£1,117

Painting, Ganah, Florence Dussuyer

Ganah

Florence Dussuyer

Painting - 78.7 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch

£13,399

Sculpture, Cloned Polar Bear with pet bottle, William Sweetlove

Cloned Polar Bear with pet bottle

William Sweetlove

Sculpture - 15.7 x 10.2 x 8.3 inch

£4,466

Painting, Tact, Isabelle Lebret

Tact

Isabelle Lebret

Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

£1,072

Fine Art Drawings, Au Cabaret, Yves Brayer

Au Cabaret

Yves Brayer

Fine Art Drawings - 12.4 x 9.4 inch

£491

Fine Art Drawings, Au Cabaret, Yves Brayer

Au Cabaret

Yves Brayer

Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 inch

£491

Painting, Hand 02, Eloy Morales

Hand 02

Eloy Morales

Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

£1,429

Painting, Q509, Stefano Mazzolini

Q509

Stefano Mazzolini

Painting - 53.5 x 41.7 x 0.4 inch

£2,233

Sculpture, Angel and Boy, Emmanuel Okoro

Angel and Boy

Emmanuel Okoro

Sculpture - 17.3 x 7.9 x 7.9 inch

£2,800

Painting, ASUKA1 : ETHEREAL ALLURE ON A WHISPERING GREEN CANVAS, Aya Toshikawa

ASUKA1 : ETHEREAL ALLURE ON A WHISPERING GREEN CANVAS

Aya Toshikawa

Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 2 inch

£4,466

Painting, Le manteau rouge, Victorine Follana

Le manteau rouge

Victorine Follana

Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

£983

Photography, Désert, Tanguy Mendrisse

Désert

Tanguy Mendrisse

Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch

£232

Painting, Anatomy: Class II, Dominik Jasinski

Anatomy: Class II

Dominik Jasinski

Painting - 47.2 x 23.6 x 1 inch

£3,037

Photography, Waiting for the rain in Wamba, John Kenny

Waiting for the rain in Wamba

John Kenny

Photography - 26.4 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

£1,550

Photography, Lakuru, John Kenny

Lakuru

John Kenny

Photography - 26.4 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

£950

Photography, At the edge of the Jade Sea, John Kenny

At the edge of the Jade Sea

John Kenny

Photography - 26.4 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

£950

Photography, Afar woman of Assaita, John Kenny

Afar woman of Assaita

John Kenny

Photography - 26.4 x 17.7 x 0.8 inch

£1,228

Sculpture, L'amour parfait, Stratos

L'amour parfait

Stratos

Sculpture - 64.6 x 16.9 x 9.8 inch

£9,380

Photography, Sahara, Tanguy Mendrisse

Sahara

Tanguy Mendrisse

Photography - 23.6 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch

£232

Sculpture, Coeur, Yoann Merienne

Coeur

Yoann Merienne

Sculpture - 13.4 x 7.5 x 7.5 inch

£4,020

Painting, Morning in Burgas, Ivan Russev

Morning in Burgas

Ivan Russev

Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

£1,688

Painting, Fire Escapes, New York City, David Supper

Fire Escapes, New York City

David Supper

Painting - 47 x 47 x 0.8 inch

£1,556

Fine Art Drawings, Women series II, Maral Djenazian

Women series II

Maral Djenazian

Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

£1,367

Photography, Ambre, Arnaud Ele

Ambre

Arnaud Ele

Photography - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

£313

Print, Fémur et muscles, Hervé Di Rosa

Fémur et muscles

Hervé Di Rosa

Print - 48.4 x 19.7 inch

£536

Painting, Fast Atoms Escape II, Russell Frampton

Fast Atoms Escape II

Russell Frampton

Painting - 35.8 x 35.8 x 0.8 inch

£3,650

Sculpture, Rencontre, Roland Masson

Rencontre

Roland Masson

Sculpture - 28 x 8.7 x 8.7 inch

£2,591

Print, Squelette de Raymond, Hervé Di Rosa

Squelette de Raymond

Hervé Di Rosa

Print - 34.6 x 29.5 inch

£536

Painting, Le Blanc et le Banc, Caroline de Piédoüe

Le Blanc et le Banc

Caroline de Piédoüe

Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

£1,072

Sculpture, J-SIL2, Joëlle Laboue

J-SIL2

Joëlle Laboue

Sculpture - 16.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 inch

£491

Painting, Fond Marin (Réf.69), Jérôme Mesnager

Fond Marin (Réf.69)

Jérôme Mesnager

Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1.2 inch

£2,501

Print, Vanitas 1, Markus Lüpertz

Vanitas 1

Markus Lüpertz

Print - 22 x 29.9 inch

£1,787

Photography, Roger III, Corinne Dubreuil

Roger III

Corinne Dubreuil

Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 inch

£893

Painting, Homme sous la lampe, Pascal Marlin

Homme sous la lampe

Pascal Marlin

Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 1 inch

£1,787 £1,519

Painting, Woman, Anastasia Kurakina

Woman

Anastasia Kurakina

Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.4 inch

£1,072

Photography, Serena, Corinne Dubreuil

Serena

Corinne Dubreuil

Photography - 15.7 x 23.6 inch

£938

Painting, It's past noon, Aleksander Grzybek

It's past noon

Aleksander Grzybek

Painting - 12.6 x 9.1 inch

£223

Painting, Untitled, Aleksander Grzybek

Untitled

Aleksander Grzybek

Painting - 9.1 x 8.3 inch

£223

Photography, DeliRiUs, Louis Blanc

DeliRiUs

Louis Blanc

Photography - 11.8 x 11.8 x 0 inch

£1,251

Painting, Black woman, Eulogia Merle

Black woman

Eulogia Merle

Painting - 45.7 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch

£2,280

Print, Les mots n'ont plus de bouche, Valerio Adami

Les mots n'ont plus de bouche

Valerio Adami

Print - 12.2 x 11.2 x 0 inch

£268

Sculpture, Torse Épigastrique (Opus 377), Miguel Berrocal

Torse Épigastrique (Opus 377)

Miguel Berrocal

Sculpture - 5.9 x 2.8 x 2 inch

£1,608

Painting, At Home, Wande Oseni

At Home

Wande Oseni

Painting - 30 x 30 x 1 inch

£1,607

Painting, Summer Day, Alexander Levich

Summer Day

Alexander Levich

Painting - 15.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

£777

Fine Art Drawings, Après l'expo, Laurent Anastay-Ponsolle

Après l'expo

Laurent Anastay-Ponsolle

Fine Art Drawings - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.2 inch

£670

Painting, Girl in an orange dress, Marlena Nizio

Girl in an orange dress

Marlena Nizio

Painting - 33.5 x 18.1 x 0.8 inch

£491

Print, El Cant del Ocelles, Bruno Mallart

El Cant del Ocelles

Bruno Mallart

Print - 46.1 x 20.9 inch

£715

Painting, Estels naixents, Coia Ibañez

Estels naixents

Coia Ibañez

Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 inch

£1,161

Photography, Manufactura 9, Oriol Texidor

Manufactura 9

Oriol Texidor

Photography - 15.7 x 19.7 x 2.8 inch

£1,126

Painting, Saturation, Philippe Huart

Saturation

Philippe Huart

Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.8 inch

£8,486

Painting, La Sauvageonne, Serge Kalinowski

La Sauvageonne

Serge Kalinowski

Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 2 inch

£1,429

Painting, Psychose, Philippe Huart

Psychose

Philippe Huart

Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.6 inch

£8,486

Photography, Kate Coyne, Richard Dunkley

Kate Coyne

Richard Dunkley

Photography - 30 x 20 x 1 inch

£550

Painting, A foot, Rebecca Yunjeong Lee

A foot

Rebecca Yunjeong Lee

Painting - 10.6 x 9.8 x 1.2 inch

£618

Painting, Nu abstrait N°23 - Monstera palace Pièce N°9, Aurélie Trabaud

Nu abstrait N°23 - Monstera palace Pièce N°9

Aurélie Trabaud

Painting - 17.9 x 12 x 0 inch

£697

Painting, La Moisson, Patricia Dubois

La Moisson

Patricia Dubois

Painting - 13.4 x 19.3 x 2 inch

£1,204

Painting, On a Beach, Joanna Glazer

On a Beach

Joanna Glazer

Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

£884 £442

Photography, Gravity liquid 58 (Large), Seb Janiak

Gravity liquid 58 (Large)

Seb Janiak

Photography - 50 x 39.4 inch

£4,400

Sculpture, Gray's Anatomy, Gaspard Mitz

Gray's Anatomy

Gaspard Mitz

Sculpture - 9.4 x 13.4 x 2.6 inch

£625

Painting, Illusion of Freedom #4, Guy Ghazanchyan

Illusion of Freedom #4

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting - 55.1 x 47.2 x 0.4 inch

£3,127

Print, I Generali (The Generals), Enrico Baj

I Generali (The Generals)

Enrico Baj

Print - 21.9 x 29.7 x 0 inch

£536

Painting, Anthroporos, Guy Ghazanchyan

Anthroporos

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting - 54.7 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch

£2,501

Painting, Anthroporos, Guy Ghazanchyan

Anthroporos

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting - 54.7 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch

£2,501 £2,251

Sculpture, Grand sumo rouge, François Rambaud

Grand sumo rouge

François Rambaud

Sculpture - 33.5 x 27.6 x 19.7 inch

£3,216

Painting, Interracial kisses, VeraD

Interracial kisses

VeraD

Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

£1,251

Painting, Witness Series, Guy Ghazanchyan

Witness Series

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting - 76.8 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch

£3,752

Painting, Witness Series, Guy Ghazanchyan

Witness Series

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting - 76.8 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch

£3,752

Sculpture, Velvet Skin, Florence Sartori

Velvet Skin

Florence Sartori

Sculpture - 22.8 x 7.1 x 7.1 inch

£2,680

Painting, Witness Series, Guy Ghazanchyan

Witness Series

Guy Ghazanchyan

Painting - 76.8 x 51.2 x 0.8 inch

£3,752

Human body

'I wanted to conquer the world. But I also desperately wanted to understand human nature, and to know what was inside our bodies. To do this, I have spent whole night dissecting bodies, against the direct orders of the Pope. Nothing disgusts me. What I am looking for, truly, in all of my work and particularly in my painting, what I have looked for all my life, is to understand the mystery that is human nature' – from the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century.


At the time of writing these notes, da Vinci had already made greater understanding of the human body the primary objective of his investigations. Dissection and study were key to his development of a holistic knowledge of anatomy, which da Vinci believed was vital to the perfect rendering of the nude figures which he painted and drew.


Little by little, the traditional image of the human figure was uprooted and in its place new ways of interpreting the body developed. Contemporary artists relentlessly questioned the traditional codes of figure drawing, liberally reworking the representation of the body to create a new image that was dislocated, geometric, deformed and disfigured.


The body as an artistic subject is at once desired, fantasised, dreamt, transformed, deformed. For painters, photographers and sculptors alike the body represents a rite of passage in their artistic development. Many people say that they most appreciate the talents of an artists by way of their control over the complexity of the figure. For example, it's clear even in Matisse's later, more abstract collages that he had perfectly mastered the human form.


Representation of the body is fundamental to Western art: first and foremost because it suggests a representation of the self, and therefore affirms the artist's own existence and coexistence with the environment that surrounds them. At the beginning of art history, the only bodies represented were the gods, supernatural beings, and spirits who had taken on human form. The body, nude or clothed, is at once one of the most widely depicted and most deeply polemical subjects in Western art (think of the scandals provoked by Courbet's 'Origins of the World', or Renoir's 'Picnic on the Grass').


The body has always been the primary subject of an array of themes, and its history is rich and ancient. Initially, depiction of the body was closely linked to religion, where the Word became flesh in Genesis, but later in more secular times the arousal of the artist when faced with the body made for an equally popular theme. Latterly the notion of the body as an object of beauty was subverted by Cubism until depictions of bodies no longer bore any resemblance to reality or made any pretence of respecting the rules of proportion.


Finally, in modern art the body has taken on an abstract shape within space, becoming one with the environment. In some instances, the body has become the artist's own support, as with Klein's models. The body as an abstract concept is tangible in many different manifestations in art, even in pieces as unassuming as some of Rothko's paintings. It remains the subject of inexhaustible inspiration and eternal debate.

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