Nudes can be erotic, voyeuristic, or exploitative, depending on the artist’s motives and the pose depicted. Nudes can also be a pure expression of appreciation for the complex and subtle forms that result from the interaction of bones, muscle, fat, and skin.

Nudes can be done as portraiture or as figurative works that deemphasize the specific individual. Finally, an artist might choose this genre as a vehicle for aesthetic expression, emphasizing abstract shapes, mark making, distortions, palette exploration, etc.

Featured: Female Nude by Gustav Klimt.