Female Nude 

Koloman Moser made this work, Female Nude, with mixed media on paper in Austria, most likely in the first two decades of the 20th century. The image presents a rear-view nude female figure standing between two draped figures whose heads are bowed. It presents some of the key themes of the Vienna Secession. It's very interested in classical themes, especially the nude, yet the figure also appears estranged from us. The bowed figures that flank the nude are like mourners, or perhaps even judges. The nude figure presents an allegory of truth in the face of judgement. To fully understand the image, we would need to investigate the influence of classical statuary on the artist, and the cultural and institutional settings in which such themes were explored. We could also consider the role of exhibitions that championed new approaches to the nude in the face of conservative censorship. In this way, we learn to interpret art as more than just aesthetic form: it is a vital part of social and institutional history.