Standing Nude 1911

Editor: This is Modigliani’s *Standing Nude* from 1911, created with oil paint, and you can find it in the Nagoya City Art Museum. The vertical composition and the blue hue give the figure a sort of otherworldly, spectral feel, but it's also a very stylized, almost abstracted representation of the female form. What's your read on this work? Curator: Modigliani painted this during a really interesting moment in art history. Nudity in art was, of course, well established, but it was usually presented through a male gaze, or as classical allusion. But in the early 20th century, artists were really starting to challenge academic conventions. How do you think Modigliani's approach relates to other depictions of the nude at the time? Editor: It does seem like a distinct departure, perhaps moving away from the overtly sensual toward something more... anthropological, maybe? It’s as though he's presenting a study of form, rather than trying to titillate. Curator: Exactly. Modigliani wasn't just interested in portraying beauty; he was invested in redefining it. This work can be understood within a historical context that includes Primitivism and the emerging anthropological gaze, and these significantly impacted how the female body was represented. Think also about how exhibitions and their publics at the time contributed to this shift in perspective. Editor: I see that—it’s almost as though the historical understanding of art exhibitions becomes crucial to how we interpret individual pieces of art. Thanks for making this clear! Curator: Absolutely, the public display of art can be as impactful as its creation! We should think more on how social structures influenced artistic expression.