Bob Sutton – Recovering Zeuxis’ Helen: The Invention of the Female Nude
September 16 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Sponsored by: Baltimore AIA Society
Wednesday September 16, 5:30, Olin Hall room 305
Bob Sutton, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University
Recovering Zeuxis’ Helen: The Invention of the Female Nude
Classical Athenian painted vases often displayed risqué images of naked female bathers. Around 430 BCE, this theme is suddenly transformed into noble images of goddesses, brides, and Helen of Troy that decorate vessels designed for female use. Appearing as the discretely nude kneeling bather type, they likely reflect a lost monumental painting of Helen by Zeuxis of Heraclea. This change appears pivotal in establishing respectable female nudity in Classical art and the Renaissance.
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