A Literary Survey regarding the Gaze

and the Female Nude in Manet’s “Olympia”

and “Le Dejeuner sur L’herbe”

Jenna Antrobus
 Contents

Abstract

Introduction

Chapter 1: A study of the Gaze

Chapter 2: The Female Nude and its precarious

MMrelationship with Pornography

Chapter 3: Image analysis of Manet’s “Olympia”

MMand “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe”
Chapter 4: The Nude, the Gaze and My Work

Conclusion

 Contents

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: A study of the Gaze

CHAPTER 2: The Female Nude and its precarious relationship with Pornography

CHAPTER 3: Image analysis of Manet’s “Olympia” and “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe”

CHAPTER 4: The Nude, the Gaze and My Work

CONCLUSION

Abstract
In dealing with the concept of the
gaze and its effects in my practical work
I sought to investigate the theoretical
aspect of the gaze. I was also interested
to see how the concept of the male
gaze related to female subjects within
western art.
This article served as a means of
analysing the concept of the female
nude as well as that of the gaze. The
study allowed for an analysis of the
effects of the gaze as well as the male
gazes’ effects on the female form to be
studied; this analysis allowed for further
investigation into the power dynamics
between the nude female form and the
male gaze.
In order to be able to analyse the
relationships between concepts it
was important that each be defined
accordingly. This research article is
structured in such a way that allows
each chapter to apply and analyse
various concepts before applying
i
them all loosely in the fourth chapter,
which revolves around my personal
work. By isolating concepts this literature
review allows for the broad connections
between concepts to be analysed.
The result of this study is that despite the
nude female form being painted with the
physical ability to have a gaze they are
denied the opportunity of having this
power due to artistic conventions defined
by men. This denial of power is brought
forth by the fear of castration, which is
brought forth from a women’s lack of a
phallus. The dominant power within
western society is that of the patriarchy
and in order for that power dynamic to
remain the women must not be allowed
to gain power.
In conclusion, the female nude figure
is denied a gaze and whilst she has the
ability to have a strong look, such as the
nude from both “Olympia” (Figure 1)
and “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure 2).
The female nude is still painted by men
and thus controlled by men. Therefore,
it is conclusive to assume that the female
gaze does not exist in regards to the
female nude. The female nude will never
be able to have the same effect that her
male spectators have over her.
Introduction
In this thesis article, I will be dealing with
the concept of the gaze1 and its influence
on the painted female nude as well as
its ability to dominate the nude female
form. This article will explore and
analyse two artworks that depict the
female nude: “Olympia” which was
painted by Édouard Manet in 1863
(Figure 1) and the painting “Le
Déjeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure 2) also
painted by Édouard Manet in 1863.
These two paintings were selected as
they both focus on the nude female
figure in a manner that is not coherent
with the conventions of the traditional
female nude. This can be seen as the two
paintings depicting a nude female who is
returning the viewers' gaze in a manner
that is neither modest nor passive.
The concept of the gaze has many
properties that bring forth a sense of
objectification and awareness of self, the
gaze is experienced when one is looking
or looked at (Ma, 2015:126). However,
ii
the gaze is not to be confused with the
mere ability to see, referred to as the eye
which will be discussed later in the article.
The concept of the gaze intrigued me on a
personal level as I am constantly aware of
being the subject of others’ gaze, and how
the gaze of others affects my perception of 1 The ‘gaze’ as stated by Lacan is not to be
confused with the ‘Eye’ which is simply the
self and level of self-consciousness. It is for art of being able to see. (Ma, 2015:127)
2 the female form in art is that of a subject
this reason that I sought to become more or form- this allows for the female nude
in painting to be perceived as art and not
informed on the topic, and to explore pornographic (Nead, 1990:324)
what the academic framework of the gaze
constituted of, especially with regards to
the realm of the art world.
The female nude is a spectacle of western
culture and the arts (Nead, 1990:325).
The form in this state of purity was largely
repeated in paintings and sculptures. The
female body was portrayed as submissive
to that of the spectators’ gaze, the female
subjects gaze always being modest
and or absent from the painting as her
form remains passive (Nead, 1990:326).
Therefore, nude female figure is denied
a powered gaze in order to prevent her
from challenging the masculine or meeting
the ‘male’ gaze. Whilst the female nude
is typically portrayed as passive and as an
aesthetic form2 in both “Olympia” (Figure
1) and “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure 2)
they present a contrast to the conventional
female nude within western art.
Within these two paintings the female
nude gazes forward towards the viewer,
asserting her gaze on the spectator. Whilst
the artworks were still created by a male
artist the painting inserts the female nude
subject as an aware entity that gazes back
at the spectator. The relationship between
the painted female nude and the artist will
be dealt with later in the article.
This thesis article aims to serve as an
analysis of the gaze and the female nude,
I will be conducting a visual analysis of
Manet’s “Olympia” (Figure 1) and “Le
Déjeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure 2). This
research article further aims to bring the
power of the spectators ‘male’ gaze3 to
light and to briefly analyse whether the
female nude can adopt a female gaze
or whether she is denied this as she was
painted by a man. This study seeks to
explore the existence of the female gaze,
and whether the female gaze can have
power within a painting painted by a man.
The two Manet paintings were chosen for
analysis as they are examples of female
subjects breaking away from typically
passive positions, to more assertive and
active roles. These two paintings will
allow this article to explore the various
fundamental themes, namely female
objectification, the gaze and the power
X
the gaze holds over ones’ subjectivity.
Once these paintings have been analysed
and discussed, my own artwork will be
introduced, in light of the themes discussed.
In that section I will briefly elude to how
the themes dealt within the article are
addressed in my work. 3 This is referring to the idea that the gaze
is strong and objectifying when cast onto
the female body- it objectifies her body and
assumes a dominant position over her. This
In this article, I aim to explore and analyze will be explained later in the study.
the concept of the gaze, specifically that of
the female and male gaze. I aim to explore
the effects and power dynamics of the
various forms of the gaze especially with
regards to the female nude figure. The
female nude figure will be analysed
in regards to its precarious existence
between being an artistic convention
and that which portrays the naked
female form as pornographic. This analysis
of the female nude will then be placed in
the context of the two artworks, “Olympia”
(Figure 1) and “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe”
(Figure 2), with the intention to analyse
the painted nude subject and their gaze.
My aim with this analysis is to determine
whether or not there exists a ‘female’ gaze
in the art works as well as determining
whether or not this gaze is capable of
having the same effect as that of the
‘male’ gaze; which objectifies the female
form upon the act of looking.
In this thesis article, I aim to analyse
the power dynamics of the gaze from
the spectator and that which is gazed at,
the nude female form. Another aim of
this study is to compare the male gaze
with that of the female gaze, in order
to analyse whether the female nude
subject adopts the ‘male’ gaze when she
no longer passive within her painting or
whether she takes on another form of
the gaze that allows for her to objectify
her spectators. I will also briefly elude to
the medusa theory to reflect the power
of the female gaze. Thus, my thesis
article will analyse the gaze and its effects
through analysing the presence of the
gaze within the selected artworks; as
well as determine whether the female
nude subject is able to adopt her own
gaze with its own set of effects that effect
the spectators of these works. During
my analysis of each section, within this
article, I will be dealing with various
theorists from different fields. In regard to
the gaze I will primarily be dealing with
Lacan and his theory of the gaze versus
the eye. This distinction between the eye
and the gaze will be accomplished by
comparing Satre and Lacans’ theories
regarding this relationship. Their main
difference being that Lacan states that
the eye and the gaze are definitely not
iv
the same thing whereas Satre states that
the two are not exactly the same (Ma,
2015:127). Lacan further explains the
relationship between the eye and the
gaze by bringing in the concept of the
‘image screen’ which serves as a means
of ‘veiling’ the gaze. (Ma, 2015:133).
Whilst Lacan deals primarily with the
gaze as a singular concept, it is Laura
Mulvey that adds the distinction of the
male gaze onto Lacan’s definition.
To Mulvey the gaze is innately male when
the subject of the gaze is the female form.
Whilst dealing with the medium of film,
Mulvey’s theories are also applicable to
other forms of visual creation; in the case
of this article, painting. Mulvey analyses
film as being that which “reflects, reveals
and even plays on the straight, socially
established interpretation of sexual
difference which controls images, erotic
ways of looking and spectacle” (Mulvey,
1999:803). Mulvey further defines this
form of socially constructed way of
looking as being the result of patriarchy
attempting to remove the threat of
castration; the fear of castration is to
do with the females’ lack of a penis
(Mulvey, 1999:804). Both Mulvey and
Garb deal with the concept of the female
gaze as being censored in order for
masculine power structures to remain
dominant. Garb’s writing references
an old narrative regarding a female
gaze seemingly having control over the
blind male form. That “in the man’s
beholding of the woman who looks lies
a much deeper threat, for it is through
the unveiling of the threat of castration”
(Mirzoeff, 1998:418). However, as
Mulvey mentions the power structures
are reinforced by the female gaze being
denied. In the case of the narrative,
the model reveals that he is in fact not
blind and the female artist submits
herself to him.
Garb goes further by linking the
concept of the female gaze with the
myth of Medusa. Medusas’ gaze that
has the ability to turn one to stone, a
gaze that disables masculinity (Mirzoeff,
1998:418). The Medusa theory deals
with the analogy of Medusas being the
personification of female power within
patriarchal society. Whilst having ultimate
power over men it is thus essential that
Medusas’ narrative ends with her demise
by the hand of a brave male warrior
(Bowers, 1990:225). The conclusion to
the narrative of Medusa is symbolic of
the means in which the female gaze is
denied any form of power within society.
v
Another form in which feminine power is
denied is through the convention of the
female nude. According to Nead (1990:
326) the female nude exists as a spectacle
for the appreciation of the male spectator;
this appreciation is open to sexual desire.
However, due to the conventions of the nude
within western art, the nude is not considered
to be an overly sexual art form. That being
said, Nead also defines the female nude
as existing precariously upon the margins
of what is considered moral art and that
which is pornographic (Nead, 1990:325).
It is when the conventions of the female
nude are broken and not adhered to when
the Nude risks being seen as pornographic
(Nead, 1990:325). She further describes
the fundamental difference between the
nude and the naked by referring to the
pornographic as that which “resides in
the image, that it is a question of content
rather than form, of production rather
than consumption” (Nead, 1990:324). In
her article, Nead refers to Kenneth Clark’s
theory on the difference between naked
pornographic and the female nude. Nead
states that art and pornography are defined
in terms of their effect on the spectator; “Art
is pacifying and contemplative, whereas…
pornography incites the viewer into action
and therefore cannot belong in the realm of
high artistic culture” (Nead, 1990:325).
The means in which the various theories
will be applied in this article is through
a formal literary and visual analysis of
“Olympia” (Figure 1) and “Le Déjeuner
sur l’herbe” (Figure 2) in regard to their
presence of the female nude and her gaze,
I will do this through the use of semiotics.
The gaze will need to be clarified in
regards to the female nude specifically;
including the effect that this has on both
the spectator and the nude female form.
In this research article I will analyse
Lacan’s theory regarding the gaze as
objectifying along with his theory as the
eye as screen.
chapter I will be engaging with the concept
of the female nude and relationship to
the pornographic. In this section, I will
be engaging with theorists such as, Nead,
Clark and Berger. In the third chapter, I
will be analysing both of Manet’s artworks:
“Olympia” (Figure 1) and “Le Déjeuner
sur l’herbe” (Figure 2). In this section,
I will be applying various theorists who
have spoken about the selected paintings,
focusing on the writings of Clark for the
topic of Olympia. The final chapter will
serve as a means of summarising the
content of the article as well as deducing
as to whether the painted gaze of the
female nude can have power.

The aim for the research is to be able

to determine if the female nude has the
ability to have a gaze and whether this
gaze of hers is able to affect the viewer
in a similar manner to the ‘male’ gaze
that the spectator adopts when viewing
the female nude.

The chapters for this article will largely

stand-alone before being applied to my
own work in the final chapter. In the first
chapter I will be analysing various theories
regarding the gaze; such as that of Lacan,
Mulvey and Garb. I will also elude to the
Medusa theory. Whereas in the second

vi
Study of the Gaze
This section of the research article will
explore various arguments, put forth
by various theorists, that deal with
the concept of the gaze. This research
article will predominantly deal with
Lacan’s theory on the gaze whilst also
referring to Satre’s theory of the gaze
in order to form a distinction and to
further clarify Lacan’s theory. This
section will serve as a means of defining
the gaze and the eye and their various
effects through the use of theorists
such as: Lacan, Laura Mulvey and
Tamar Garb, as well as reference to the
Medusa theory.4
The first definition and distinction
that is important to establish is that of
the concepts of the eye and the gaze.
The concept of the eye and the gaze
was initially dealt with by Satre; who
stated that the eye and the gaze are
interdependent but do not function in
the same way. As according to Satre,
the eye is the everyday form of looking,
whereas the gaze is understood as
1
looking on an ontological level rather
than just being the ability to see the
subject before you (Lacan, 2015:125).
Satre’s concept of the gaze deals with
the relationship between the subject and
the other; this relationship is displayed 4 This theory is not titled as such, but for the
sake of this research article I will refer to it
within the scopic field (Lacan, 2015:125). by this title.
The result of this relationship between
5 Triadic is defined as being a group of three.
subject and other is that of objectification
(Lacan, 2015:126). Satre defines the
moment of objectification as being the
moment that one engages in the feeling
of self-consciousness in the presence of
the other or the gaze of the other (Lacan,
2015:126).
The aspect of the gaze bringing forth a
sense of awareness and objectification
is a trait both Lacan’s and Satre’s
theories share. However, whilst Lacan
acknowledges and agrees with Satres
distinction between the eye and the
gaze this is the one of the only points
in which the two theorists have a clear
connection. Satre dictates a linear
relationship between the subject and the
object, whereas Lacan forms a triadic5
relationship between what he refers to as:
the subject, the gaze and the visual object
(Lacan, 2015: 127).
Lacan dismisses Satre’s idea of the linear
relationship, with two completely isolated
concepts; one concept being that of the
other with the second concept being
that of the subject. Stating that “there is
nothing to prevent both positions from
being occupied in simultaneously” (Lacan,
2015:127) thus it is here where Lacan
brings in the third concept which forms
the triadic relationship; the Gaze.
According to Lacan the Gaze is pre-
existent; this is a notion he adopted from
the theorist Merleau-Ponty (Lacan,
2015:127). According to Lacan, the gaze
is located within the world and pre-exists
the subject (Foster, 1996:106). This pre-
existence is further defined as being part
of culture and societies influence. One’s
subjectivity is formed and maintained
by society or culture and the regulating
powers that they possess. According to
Lacan this explains how we are able to
be who we are because we were told to
be as such (Lacan, 2015:128-129). The
gaze can therefore be seen as a controlling
aspect of one’s subjectivity; as the gaze is
a fundamental part of society. It is society
that formulates one’s identity and thus it
becomes one’s job to uphold this identity
in the presence of the gaze. Whilst the
gaze allows for one’s subjectivity
to be formed and maintained it is only
2
because the gaze is, as Lacan states,
screened by the eye (Lacan, 2015: 133).
In the process of screening, the subject
converts the visual object into a picture
through the screen, which is present as
a result of the eye. It is this screen that
allows for the subject affected by the gaze,
the visual object, being looked at to still
obtain their subjectivity rather than fully
being converted into an object of the gaze
(Lacan, 2015: 133-134). In Hal Foster’s
article he briefly eludes to the concept of
the screen. In doing so, Foster states that
“the meaning…[of the] screen, is obscure”
(Foster, 1996:109) however, in Foster’s
writing he defines the screen as being a
“cultural reserve” (Foster, 1996:109).
Foster goes further by defining it in terms
of being conventions of art and norms
within culture. The screen serves as a
means of mediating the relationship
between the gaze and object by
capturing the gaze (Foster, 1996:109).
Foster’s article, much like Mulvey’s article,
engages with Lacan’s theory of the gaze.
Through an analysis of Lacan’s
theory regarding the gaze this article
will introduce and explore other gaze
theories into this section; starting with
that of the male gaze theory proposed
by Laura Mulvey.
Mulvey engages with Lacan’s gaze theory
from a Feminist perspective. She further
applies his theory to mass produced
culture in the case of her writing it is that
of film and cinema. Mulvey’s writing on
film can also be applied to the medium
of painting and as such I will be using
it in this article. In the article “Visual
pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Mulvey
goes on to state that the medium on
which images and or scenes are presented
affects the way in which the image and or
scenes are perceived by their respective
audiences (Mulvey, 1999:803). In the case
of Mulvey’s previously stated article she
deals with the medium of film. Mulvey
states that “film reflects, reveals and even
plays on the straight, socially established
interpretation of sexual difference”
(Mulvey, 1999 :803). For the sake of
making this article coherent, I will apply
the same characteristics of the female
form in film to that of the female nude
in painting. Both females in film and the
painted nude are subjected to the “world
ordered by sexual imbalance” where
“pleasure in looking has been split between
active/male and passive/female”
(Mulvey, 1999 :806).
In film, Mulvey defines the existence of
women as the means by which to sate one’s
3
scopophilic desires; as women in film are
there to be looked at and within the realm
of art the female form is thus the spectacle
for the gaze (Mulvey, 1999: 806). Mulvey
describes film as containing three types
of gazes, all of which she considers to be
male in their nature.
The three gazes she identifies are: the
gaze of the camera, the gaze of the
spectator and the gaze of others within
the film narrative (Mulvey, 1999: 809).
The camera serves as a form of the eye
that watches those being filmed. In film,
the camera is largely not noticed by those
acting thus leaving the camera as the
active onlooker, and the subject of the film
as an object of its gaze. The second gaze
is that of the spectator. This form of the
gaze is largely considered to be male due
to the gaze’s objectifying quality; which is
especially noticeable in the case of women
being portrayed in film (Mulvey, 1999:
809). The third gaze, the gaze of those
within the film also reflects the relationship
between the female as a passive entity and
the male as an active entity. Men can look
at woman and convert their subjectivity
into a form of a visual objects (Mulvey,
1999: 809), as stated previously by Lacan,
whereas the same is not applicable to
women. The female Gaze is detrimental to
masculinity and thus its’ power is censored
by the patriarchal society in which film as a
medium is based (Mulvey, 1999: 808).
The female gaze is one of the reason
why both Manet’s “Olympia” (Figure 1)
and “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure 2)
were viewed as controversial as they were
in their time. Since female nudes were
often painted with their gazes diverted
away from the spectator or their gaze
represented as soft and unthreatening
(Nehamas, 2007: 109). Whereas both
of Manet’s paintings depict the nude
female figure looking outwards towards
the spectators viewing the paintings. The
female gaze is associated with the fear of
castration that men face when confronted
with the female’s ‘lack’ (Mirzoeff, 1998:
419). The concept of the ‘lack’ and fear of
castration is further explained through the
‘Medusa theory’.
The ‘Medusa Theory’ entails comparing
the female gaze with that of the legendary
tale of Medusa who could turn a person
to stone just by looking them in the eye
(Bowers, 1990: 219). Medusa serves as
a symbol for female erotic power and
its dominance over men’s desire for the
female form (Bowers, 1990: 225). Medusa
exists as a threat to the existence of
4
patriarchal power as she has the ability to
both interrupt the patriarchal power as
well as objectify male subjects by literally
turning them to stone, thus into an object
(Bowers, 1990: 219). The story of the
legendary Medusa however comes to
an end with her being killed by a brave
male warrior who serves as the symbol of
patriarchal power (Bowers, 1990: 218).
As a whole the theory of Medusa as the
symbol of female erotic power and the
female gaze must be sacrificed and ended
in order for the patriarchal society to not
be under threat (Bowers, 1990: 224). The
Medusa Theory serves as a depiction as
to how the female gaze is denied power
within popular culture and society due to
the overruling patriarchal order.
The female gaze is further referenced in
Tamar Garbs writing “The Forbidden
Gaze”. The core lesson within Garb’s
article is that the female gaze is
damaging to the patriarchal power that
governs society as well as men’s sense of
masculinity (Garb, 1998: 415). Within the
institute of the arts it was feared that if a
female artist were to gaze upon the male
nude figure, her modesty would be under
threat (Garb, 1998: 416); this led to the
large debate that surrounded the topic of
allowing women to study the arts alongside
 men (Garb, 1998: 419-420). Throughout
the narrative mentioned in Garb’s writing,
the female artist is under the impression
that her male model is blind; in a sense
the male gaze is considered absent and
the female gaze appears to be dominant.
However, Garb goes further to analyse
a particular scene from the narrative in
which the male model gets an erection
watching the artist strip in the studio
due to heat, the erection is described as
reaffirmed masculinity even without the
evident presence of

the male gaze (Garb, 1998: 419). The

idea of wielding one’s penis to assert one’s
manly power is a notion brought forward
by Freud who stated that “he is still in
possession of a penis and the stiffening
reassures him of the fact” (Garb, 1998:
419). Therefore, not only is the erection
a sign of male power and dominance
but also the simple reminder of the
penis is enough to evoke the same level
of masculine power (Garb, 1998: 419).
The female artist assumes that she is in
control of the male gaze and thus the one
in power. However, towards the end of
the narrative he admits to not being blind
and she confesses her love to him after he
wounds himself; thus once again reverting
the power dynamic to one where the active

5
male is in control (Garb, 1998: 419).
The female gaze is once again censored
and robbed of all power by the reassertion
of patriarchal power structures.

The dynamics between the male and

female gaze is one of dominance. The
female gaze needs to be controlled in order
for masculinity to be able to retain its
power over the female form within society
and popular culture (Mirzoeff, 1998: 420).
The female gaze is thus a counter to the
male gaze that must be stopped in order
for masculinity to remain dominant over
femininity and the female form.

6
X
The Female Nude and its
precarious relationship
with Pornography.
In this section of the research article I will
be exploring the concept of the female
nude and its relationship to the margins
within society. I will also be exploring the
relationship between the concept of being
nude and the concept of being naked. This
section will consist the theories, regarding
the female nude and pornography,
proposed by Lynda Nead, Kenneth Clark
and John Berger.
The female nude is defined by Nead as
being both central to Western culture but
also at the margins of acceptable society
(Nead, 1990:325). Nead goes further by
defining the female nudes position in
western culture as being precarious.
The margins on which the female nude
exists precariously, are the thin line
between what is considered socially
acceptable and what is not. An example
being that of the female nude that exists
as a moral convention in art, which is
considered socially acceptable, and that
which depicts the naked female form,
9
which in contrast lacks the moral attributes
of the nude (Nead, 1990:326). Precarity
occurs due to the depiction of a woman
without clothes, as this is a subject that
both art and pornography share. The
nude figures’ precarity is maintained, due
to the conventions of a nude within art
being adhered to. However, were these
conventions to be broken then the female
nude would risk “spilling out and over
into the pornographic” (Nead, 1990: 325).
It is the female nudes’ inclusion into the
realm of western art that the female nude
avoids being included into the field of
pornography (Nead, 1990:325).
The field of pornography and the field
of art exist as two separate means of
visual production and consumption within
culture (Nead, 1992:485). Therefore, it
is essential that one distinguishes art from
pornography in order to further define the
differences between the female nude figure
and the naked female figure. As stated
by Nead, that “the most commonplace
opposition to pornography is art” (Nead,
1990: 324). Nead goes on to define the
concept of art and pornography as being
polar opposites in regard to their values
(Nead, 1990: 324). He defines art as being
that of the “highest social values” which
therefore results in pornography being a
“symptom of rotten society” (Nead, 1990:
324). Clark furthers these distinctions
by defining pornographic images as that
which exists to incite the spectator into a
means of action, whereas art exists to be
contemplative and appeasing
(Nead, 1990:325).
In summary, Nead and Clark both
conclude that the female nude and
the naked female form exist as being
“respectable and nonrespectable forms
of cultural consumption” (Nead, 1990:
326), this refers to the moral and social
values that the nude and the naked form
carry. According to Berger “to be naked is
simply to be without clothes, whereas the
nude is a form of art” (Berger, 1972:53),
he puts forth this distinction in order to
clarify the difference between the nude
and the naked subject.
When studying the convention of the
female nude it is important to refer to the
first example where the female nude was
represented and how that effected the
conventions in which female nude was
produced throughout western art.
The first case of a female nude being
depicted, in western culture, was in
religious paintings of Adam and Eve
10
(Berger, 1972:47). These paintings told
the tale of Eve eating the apple and
offering it to Adam. Once the fruit was
consumed they were aware of their
nakedness, the world became real and
Adam and Eve experienced shame due to
their nakedness (Berger, 1972:48). In the
end of said narrative God punishes Eve,
a symbol for women, by condemning her
to be subservient to Adam, a symbol for
men; whereas Adam’s punishment is that
he becomes an “agent for God” (Berger,
1972:48). Paintings of Adam and Eve
displayed their shame by depicting their
attempts to conceal their genitals with
fig leaves and or with modest gestures of
their hands. Berger states that this shame,
induced by the subjects’ nakedness, later
became a kind of display, especially in the
case of the female form (Berger, 1972:49).
Berger states that women are aware of
their existence as a spectacle to the male
gaze in both society and within the realm
of art (Berger, 1972: 49). Berger goes
further to state that the female nude is
naked for the spectators to see whereas
a naked woman is simply without her
clothes and thus a shameful public
spectacle (Berger, 1972: 50). Through
the transformation from naked to nude,
the previously mentioned shame is
transformed and the painted nakedness
became that of the nude (Berger, 1972:49).
The female nude figure carries social
symbolism similar to the symbolism of
Eve in the sense that the female nude is
subservient to the male spectator. The
female nude is defined as aware that she is
a public spectacle and greets the spectator
with her painted gaze, however, due to the
conventions of the painted female nude,
she remains passive under the male gaze
(Berger, 1972:49). “Men look at women
and women watch themselves being looked
at” (Berger, 1972: 47), whilst this statement
by Berger does not specify the connotation
of the female nude, Berger later analyses
the gaze of the female nude and concludes
that her gaze is a sign of both her
acknowledgement of her spectator as well
as her submission to the spectator and
owner of the painting (Berger, 1972:52).
The female nude is presented in relation
to her passivity, the manner in which she
is depicted within the artwork is symbolic
as to what “can and cannot be done
to her” by the male spectator (Berger,
1972: 46). The female nudes’ submissive
existence can be further defined through
her gestures, expressions and chosen
surroundings (Berger, 1972:46). In the case
12
of Titians “Venus Urbino” (Figure 3) the
female nude lies in the foreground of the
painting; her posture is relaxed and her
hand is rested over her genitalia as a sign
of modesty. Her gaze serves as another
indicator of her submissive and modest
existence in relation to the male spectators’
gaze. In Venus Urbino (Figure 3), the
female nude subjects’ gaze is directed
towards the spectator, however, her head
is angled in a manner that changes the
potential power of her gaze. Her gaze
is no longer assertive but rather appears
to be modest as she watches from the
corner of her eye. This minor detail is
enough to make her appear submissive to
her spectator, who she gazes towards in a
modest manner.
Nead defines the female nude as an artistic
form that is to be greeted with artistic
appreciation; however, that appreciation
“is open to male sexual arousal” (Nead
1992:486). It is important to note that
the female nude is a subject commonly
depicted by male artists and serves as both
a means for male artists to reflect their
sexual desires upon but also as a means
of self-portraiture (Dekel, 2013:14). The
female nude thus exists as a polar opposite
to the male artist who is clothed, male
and assertive in contrast to the nude, who
is without clothes, female and passive.
Nead describes the male artists as “a man
whose sexuality is channelled through his
brush” (Nead 1990:333). He goes further
to describe the canvas of the female nude
as also being that which is “charged with
sexual connotations” (Nead 1990:333).
Berger defines the female nude as being
a “woman whose nakedness you have
depicted for your own pleasure” (Berger,
1972: 51). The female nudes’ sexuality
is not an essential aspect of the artworks
containing the nude subject, rather the
focus is placed on the male spectators’
sexuality (Berger, 1972: 55).
The female nudes’ sexuality is removed
through various aspects of the convention
of the female nude such as that of hair,
posture, texture and setting. “The least
handsome of women has bones, muscles,
skin, form, and some kind of colour”
(Clark, 1999:92); hair on a nude is
something that must be largely considered
when painted as hair serves as a symbol of
sexuality and sex according to Clark (1999:
136). The nudes’ hair is thus modified, her
genitals are to be depicted without pubic
hair in order to reassure the male spectator
of her lack and to leave nothing disguised
(Clark, 1999: 136). As mentioned by Clark,
it is expected that the female nude offers
13
her body to the spectator of the painting,
elements such as hair disguising body
parts or a woman whose form looked less
than human are means of disrupting the
norms of the female nude (Clark,
1999:133). The female nude figure must
adhere to the conventions of the nude in
order to remain titled as a female nude.
If these conventions are disrupted and
or broken the nude figure risks being
categorised as naked and not nude. In
regard to the paintings: “Olympia” (Figure
1) and “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure
2), the conventions of the female nude are
not adhered to. These two paintings by
Manet will be analysed in the next chapter
in regard to how they challenge the norms
of the nude figure as well as how they
evoked the reactions from the spectators
at their exhibitions through conducting a
visual analysis.
X
Image analysis of Manet’s “Olympia”
and “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe”
In this section of the research article I will
be analysing two artworks by Edouard
Manet: “Olympia” (Figure 1) and “Le
Déjeuner sur l’herbe” (Figure 2). I will
be analysing the artworks regarding their
social context, subject matter and the
reaction they evoked from their spectators.
I will also briefly refer to the artworks that
influenced these paintings subject matter.
Before I start my analysis of the paintings
in study, it is important to contextualise
the artist, Edouard Manet as well as
describe Paris at the time of the creation
of these artworks. The context in which
these artworks were created is important
as it allows one to understand the reaction
“Olympia” and “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe”
received. The reaction largely consisting of
criticism and even, in the case of
“Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe”, rejection from
the Salon.
Edouard Manet was born in Paris on the
twenty third of January 1832 (Leymarie,
1962: 16). Manet was the first born in
15
a family that for generations had been
involved in both the study and practice
of the law (Brombert, 1997:14). However,
from a young age Manet showed interest
in the fine arts, however his father was
insistent that he study Law (Brombert,
1997:14). Manet insisted that he wanted
to study fine arts and was given the
option to study law or join the Navy.
However, Manet failed to pass the exams
for the Navy and returned after some
voluntary work at sea with drawings
and pleaded with his father who finally
granted him permission to study the fine
arts (Brombert, 1997:15). Manet came to
be one of the founding members of the
modernist art movement (Clark, 1984:79).
Manet achieved this by not painting the
traditional mythical subjects that were
expected conventions within the arts, but
to rather paint what he saw around him;
modern Paris (Clark 1984: 79).