![]() ![]() ![]() Much has been made of the inclusion of a black servant in the picture, and it is only within the latter half of the 20th Century that academic appraisals of the work began to include race as factor, and not merely class. ![]() By contrast, her servant looks away and proffers flowers, perhaps a gift from a suitor, though they are of little significance to Olympia. Olympia was certainly no demure damsel, but a strong-willed muse aware of the sexual power she held over her observer. That the central figure in Olympia was nude, was not the controversy when it was first unveiled it was more the defiant nature of her straight-on gaze, and the relaxed, reclined pose which to many was indicative of her self-confidence a trait not favoured or encouraged in the refined women of 19th century high society. In 1863 Manet completed perhaps his two most famous works Olympia and Le Dejeuner Sur L’herbe and in doing so was credited with the very creation of Modernism as we know it today. Adam and Eve went on to inspire countless versions by artists around the world, which often borrowed elements of Cranach's composition, reinforcing this work's position as an iconic narrative painting, deeply significant in the story of western art. At the time of its creation, Cranach was at the pinnacle of his profession. This was a daring painting for Cranach to unveil, depicting the very moment of temptation at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There is a slight sense of tension in the frame as even the animals avert their gaze from the central figures, engaged in a forbidden act. Cranach's Adam and Eve is a wonderfully seductive image in more ways than one Adam and Eve are surrounded in the Garden of Eden by a perfectly blue sky and the tree bearing fruit. ![]() In the centuries that followed the creation of this iconic tableau, the fig leaf become a symbol of chastity and modesty, used to protect and shield the reputations of mere mortals, in art, literature and fables. The exhibition Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Other representations of the story had traditionally shown David after the fight, but Michelangelo chose to show his heroic protagonist poised in anticipation for battle. His posture is defiant as he confidently stands in the contrapposto, a pose employed by artists in their depiction of figures throughout the renaissance, right up to the present day, as seen in the work of Andy Warhol and Rineke Djikstra: weight placed on one leg, a slight twist in the torso. At this time, Western art was predominantly devoted to the depiction of biblical stories and allegories, and Michelangelo's masterpiece is no exception: devised as a portrait of David as he prepared to face the might of Goliath. The sculpture, which has several replicas around the world, is perhaps one of the most famous images, not only in the history of art, but in history itself. First conceived in 1501 and finally completed in 1504, Michelangelo's David stands at an imposing 5.16 metres and is carved from a single block of white marble, sourced from the quarries of Carrara in Tuscany. ![]()
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