The Beauty of the Female Form
The beguiling nature of beauty – shifting and subjective, yet undeniably potent – has inspired perhaps the majority of art in human history. As the new exhibition, Defining Beauty: the Body in Ancient Greek Art, opens at the British Museum, we look at 10 key artworks around the world that deal with bodily beauty.
EGYPT – The bust of Nefertiti by Thutmose (1345 BC)
“We held the most lively piece of Egyptian art in our hands,” wrote the enraptured German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt in his diary, after discovering the bust of Nefertiti along the banks of the Nile in 1912. It is thought to portray the wife of the Sun King, Akhenaten, with whom she ruled Egypt between 1353 and 1336 BC, and her high, chiselled cheekbones and elegant, swanlike neck remain a paragon of beauty even today. Although apparently naturalistic, the bust is a highly stylised portrayal of the human figure – the skull is elongated and the torso thinner.
GREECE – Goddesses from the east pediment of the Parthenon (c. 435 BC)
The languorous recline of these three goddesses befits their easy grace, but it is actually due to practical necessity – their postures vary due to the slope of the pediment that originally framed them. Believed to be Hestia, Dione and her daughter Aphrodite, there is an organic informality about this trio of Pentelic marble figures, in contrast to the geometric qualities found elsewhere in the Parthenon frieze. With their draping garments and lascivious forms, this sculpture conveys an unfettered femininity.
CHINA – Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies by Gu Kaizhi (c. 344–406)
This silk Chinese narrative handscroll by celebrated painter Gu Kaizhi was originally created to reprimand Empress Jia, who was known to manipulate the emperor and crush rivals. To the right, one lady gazes into a mirror, suggesting the importance of inner beauty as much as external appearance. From the perspective of a court instructress, who is advising the ladies of the imperial harem on correct etiquette, it reads: “If one’s nature is not ornamented, rites and proper behaviour will become confused and erroneous.”
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