The human body has long been depicted in its unadorned state for thousands of years – from cave paintings to the present – and it remains a constant source of artistic stimulus today.
Drawn from The Ingram Collection, the ‘Bodies!’ exhibition at The Lightbox in Woking explores the different ways in which the human body has been depicted by artists over the last century.
In the early twentieth century, artists continued to explore classical themes of Western art, such as the male and female nude, but tested traditional forms of representation, transforming the human figure in new ways. The nude has been of central importance in the history of Western Art.
The classical tradition differentiates between a ‘nude’ – idealised and intended to stir the mind rather than the senses – and the merely ‘naked’.
Through the twentieth century, artists created work that pushed the boundaries even further and traditional portrayals of the human body became almost outmoded. However, more recently, contemporary painters have returned to more naturalistic images of the body.
The expression of body expressions makes for a very interesting show. The exhibition is as diverse as denuded bodies themselves.
The Ingram Collection: Bodies! is on at The Lightbox until 31st January 2016. For more information, visit The Lightbox website.
