Exploring Controversy in Historical and Contemporary Nude Figures
By: Linda
By: Linda
Lesson One:
Introduction to Controversial Art & Art History
Specific Inquiry Focus/Intent: Politically charged, offensive, shocking, violent, and controversial art throughout history- examining historical and contemporary art
Students will examine specific examples of controversial artwork in the Art History curriculum, both historical and contemporary works, to make connections between art and social upheaval. Students can understand why works are controversial or were considered controversial within the context they were created. Students will explore historical and contemporary artists who have pushed the boundaries with their work, and explore controversial artworks where students will have critical discussions around nudity, gender issues, violence, homosexuality, and anti-capitalist art. The Art History curriculum often displays artworks that contain Eurocentric, racist, and sexist beliefs. Students can explore how politics and the social order, gender issues, Eurocentric depictions and stereotypes (how the “other” is represented) and offensive or controversial art subjects (i.e. nudity, religious and cultural stereotypes, how artists have portrayed the human body throughout history, etc.) which can be evident through different subject matter, gestures, symbolism, formal and aesthetic aspects and qualitative, and composition.
Students will examine specific examples of controversial artwork in the Art History curriculum, both historical and contemporary works, to make connections between art and social upheaval. Students can understand why works are controversial or were considered controversial within the context they were created. Students will explore historical and contemporary artists who have pushed the boundaries with their work, and explore controversial artworks where students will have critical discussions around nudity, gender issues, violence, homosexuality, and anti-capitalist art. The Art History curriculum often displays artworks that contain Eurocentric, racist, and sexist beliefs. Students can explore how politics and the social order, gender issues, Eurocentric depictions and stereotypes (how the “other” is represented) and offensive or controversial art subjects (i.e. nudity, religious and cultural stereotypes, how artists have portrayed the human body throughout history, etc.) which can be evident through different subject matter, gestures, symbolism, formal and aesthetic aspects and qualitative, and composition.
Art History Introduction
From the Renaissance (Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538), to modern art (i.e. Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon- depicting five prostitutes), to Realism and Impressionism works such as those by Paul Gaugins or Edouard Manet (i.e. Olympia, 1863), Surrealist and Fantasy works by Rene Magritte (i.e. Attempting the Impossible), etc., many artists throughout history have depicted nudity. Many Art Historical works, such as paintings and sculptures that have been considered the most controversial have been depicted in the nude. Artists throughout history who have depicted the human body/nude figures will be considered in our discussion whether certain works may be considered too controversial to discuss in the middle or high school age groups.
Guiding Questions:
Leaning Goals
Guiding Questions:
- What constitutes controversial art? Does the nude figure contribute to the work of art being considered controversial? Are controversial artworks from the past still considered controversial today?
- How do art teachers select artworks for students to examine and are they responsible for censoring any artworks; in what situation should art teachers censor artwork (i.e. considering maturity level of the students, etc.)? When should art teachers seek approval from principals and parents when showing students art that may be considered controversial?
- What is it about the artwork that creates a great deal of controversy amongst fellow classmates, parents, staff and school administrators? Is there hate material, propaganda or subliminal messaging that is found to be offensive to others in the piece?
- Is the work a mere representation of the artist's point of view on a specific culture, religion, social group, gender, or political affiliation (which may be construed as offensive)?, or does the artist deal with a more broader issue or concern that he or she finds relevant and important to get across?
- Students will have discussions and debates about what constitutes controversial/ offensive art in both past and present societies (examining and analysing historical and contemporary examples of controversial art and their impacts on the society in which they were created, and the reaction to them within society today).
- It is hoped that this lesson will help students discuss and describe what makes an artwork controversial in relation to backgrounds, bias, tolerance, and differing opinions.
- Students will learn the importance of free expression as art teachers use controversial work as a way to open the lines of communication, and to enable students to express social and political statements which promote higher-order thinking. Teachers can choose images of artworks that provide both an opportunity for students to be exposed to more liberal artworks and begin to question the deeper meanings, while also considering the students’ backgrounds and beliefs.
Introduction
Description of Lesson/Activity:
- What is controversial art?
- Does the nude figure contribute to a work of art being construed as controversial?
- Students will begin the lesson with a discussion/debate about what constitutes controversial/offensive art.
- Students will look at controversial artworks (with an emphasis placed on nude works of art) from a historical perspective as a way to frame challenging works in today’s context.
- Students will discuss controversial contemporary artworks to explore what is currently considered controversial.
- Students will engage in this discussion and comparison through non-Western works of art (e.g. Indian, Persian, African, Pre-Columbian).
- In the discussion/debate surrounding what constitutes a work of art as being controversial/offensive, one or more of the following should be addressed:
> Subject Matter
> Symbols
> Representation/Misrepresentation
> Artistic style
> Composition
- Students will be introduced to art terminology which they will be expected to use in order to support their position/argument made regarding a particular work of art being controversial or non-controversial:
žContrapposto
›What is it?
›Why are figures often portrayed in this way?
žChiaroscuro
›What is it?
›What effect does this have on life drawings?
žSfumato
›What is it?
›How does this contribute to the work of art being considered more controversial or less controversial?
- Students will be introduced to the history of nudes being portrayed in art. Following this introduction, students will discuss and examine the difference between the ‘naked’ and the ‘nude’ (with an emphasis placed on nude works of art).
- Students will consider the following in their Nude vs. Naked discussion:
>What does it mean to be naked?
- Students will be encouraged to become involved in this discussion/debate. The teacher will vary the format of the discussion/debate to honour different levels of willingness to participate. John Berger’s book, Ways of Seeing, discusses the female nude and naked figures which the teacher will make reference to in this class discussion/debate.
- Students will also consider the following questions when deciding if a work of art is controversial or not:
> Is this artwork similar to what you may have seen in the media (e.g. partially nude advertisements, paparazzi photographs of celebrities’ wardrobe malfunctions)
Premodern:
Teacher will lead a discussion covering what topics/subjects are controversial between people in general, not necessarily related to art. Topics such as politics, gender, race, etc. Teacher will engage students to describe what about these topics could be and are controversial. The end result should be that students understand that differing opinions and tolerances between people, based on backgrounds and biases, are the basis for controversy.
Art History Lesson: Case Study Example
Western artists like Paul Gauguin and Jean-Auguste Ingres have painted visual depictions of Oriental women as exotic, sensuous, romantic, sexual, colourful, mysterious, erotic, and passive, as well as many other myths. For example, this is seen in Jean-Auguste Ingres’s painting, Grande Odalisque, as he uses his imagination through the Western frame by depicting Oriental women as exploited females and eager to be dominated by the West. The West took out aspects of colonial art that they found useful to them such as carpeting, silk, motifs, jewellery and things that they didn’t have to exploit the East and make themselves look superior. Additionally, Paul Gauguin’s painting, Two Tahitian Woman also displays racial stereotypes, often through nudity.
It is important for students to be critical of whose lens people are viewing the world from since through the Western gaze, they believed themselves to be superior compared to the East. We must understand who the creators of these artworks, images and narratives are, namely white European males, and what are their possible motivations and intentions. This powerful Western group viewed all other races and cultures (i.e. the smaller and less powerful groups; blacks, slaves, First Nations, women, immigrants, Orientals, indigenous peoples, etc.) as lower or inferior. These minority groups have had little or no say on how they have been viewed in visual culture (i.e. paintings, museums, television, literature, music, etc.), as authoritative bodies and institutions have spoken on behalf of them.
›Olympia, Manet, 1863
Modern:
› Blue Nude (Memory of Biskra), Matisse, 1907
Postmodern:
›Pastoral with Candlestick and Nude, Salle, 2000
Non-Western:
›Chokwe peoples, Angola, Late 19th - 20th century
› Ultimately, students will be asked to consider life drawing as potentially controversial.
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| Premodern: Olympia, Manet, 1863 |
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| Modern: Blue Nude (Memory of Biskra), Matisse, 1907 |
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| Postmodern : Pastoral with Candlestick and Nude, Salle, 2000 |
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Non-Western : Chokwe peoples, Angola, Late 19th - 20th century
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Art History Lesson (75 min)
Introduction: 10-15min
Art History Lesson: Case Study Example
The Art History curriculum itself can be considered controversial as many European artists within the Ontario curriculum like Paul Gauguin in numerous paintings depicted natives in a stereotypical, and submissive manner. It is important to hear students’ reactions toward art and whether they find it offensive or not. Students can consider whether artists objectify women and minorities and how, and where we should draw the line when considering what is appropriate to show students in Art History classrooms. There are so many artworks within the Art History curriculum that many art teachers are censoring from their students and it is important to consider what is appropriate to show students at each age/grade level and based on their maturity level.
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Paul Gauguin, Two Tahitian Woman
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Jean-Auguste Ingres, Grande Odalisque
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Western artists like Paul Gauguin and Jean-Auguste Ingres have painted visual depictions of Oriental women as exotic, sensuous, romantic, sexual, colourful, mysterious, erotic, and passive, as well as many other myths. For example, this is seen in Jean-Auguste Ingres’s painting, Grande Odalisque, as he uses his imagination through the Western frame by depicting Oriental women as exploited females and eager to be dominated by the West. The West took out aspects of colonial art that they found useful to them such as carpeting, silk, motifs, jewellery and things that they didn’t have to exploit the East and make themselves look superior. Additionally, Paul Gauguin’s painting, Two Tahitian Woman also displays racial stereotypes, often through nudity.
It is important for students to be critical of whose lens people are viewing the world from since through the Western gaze, they believed themselves to be superior compared to the East. We must understand who the creators of these artworks, images and narratives are, namely white European males, and what are their possible motivations and intentions. This powerful Western group viewed all other races and cultures (i.e. the smaller and less powerful groups; blacks, slaves, First Nations, women, immigrants, Orientals, indigenous peoples, etc.) as lower or inferior. These minority groups have had little or no say on how they have been viewed in visual culture (i.e. paintings, museums, television, literature, music, etc.), as authoritative bodies and institutions have spoken on behalf of them.
Art History Lesson
Exploration: 10min per station- Students will visit 4 stations where the teacher has placed controversial artworks, including a reproduction of that work and a short paragraph of its historical/contemporary context.
- Using a sheet of leading questions (see below), students will engage in a small group discussion that explores the work in front of them, describing what they see and how the artwork could have been considered controversial.
Some artists to consider:
Starting from historical works, for example:
Starting from historical works, for example:
› Venus of Wilendorf
› Michelangeloʼs David,
› Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
› Tintorettoʼs Susanna and the Elders
› Manet's Olympia
› Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase
› Picasso's Nude, Demoiselles
› Modigliani's Nude
› Gaugin's Nevermore
›Francisco Goya’s The Nude Maja
›Gistav Klimt’s Nudes
›Rene Magritte's nude paintings (i.e. Attempting the Impossible)
›Jean-Auguste Ingres’s Grande Odalisque
More contemporary works, for example:
› Lucian Freud http://www.artnet.com/artists/lucian-freud/
› Sylva Sleigh http://www.sylviasleigh.com/
› Jim Warren's Sexual Explosion
› Anthony Christian http://www.anthonychristian.co.uk/tpcomp.html
› Erin Finley http://erinfinley.blogspot.com/
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Abstract Nudes: Picasso's Nude, Demoiselles
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Rene Magritte’s Attempting the Impossible
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| Gaugin's Nevermore |
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| Francisco Goya’s The Nude Maja |
Assessment for Learning
Assessment for Learning – Discussion:
Assessment for Learning – Discussion:
- Students will be asked to categorize the list of artworks (from above) into controversial, uncontroversial, and undecided (for any where the class cannot come to an agreement). It is very easy for this topic to go off track very quickly as students may get into heated debates about why something is controversial or not, so it is very important that the teacher keeps the students on track, and uses this as an introductory activity only.
- Identify some of the common characteristics amongst the topics that have been placed into the controversial category.
- Provide reasons for the differing opinions regarding the undecided category. Why do some people find certain topics controversial, while others do not?
Leading Questions for station exploration:
1. What is the subject matter of the artwork? Describe it to the group as completely as you can.
2. Given, what you see, and what you understand about the subject, what is your position on the topic?
3. Do you think that the artist has deliberately chosen to depict the subject in a way that might cause conflict between different people or groups of people? Why or why not?
4. Is this artwork offensive to you? Why? Why not?
5. Describe how the historical context of this work might cause some people to be offended by it.
Poling, L., & Guyas, A. (2008). Removing the Fig Leaf: Issues and Strategies for Handling Nudity in the Art Room. Art Education, 61(1), 39-43.
In my article synopsis the question was raised: “Should we accept older historical works than more contemporary examples of nudes?” I think that this is an important questions since many religious works throughout the Renaissance period contain nudity and I question why these works are considered less controversial than more modern depictions of nudity. Perhaps this may be due to its religious context but why should these works be allowed in the Visual Arts classroom while other works containing nudity are considered too controversial?
Art History Inquiry:
Bibliography
Art History Inquiry:
- Modigliani's Nude works and Gistav Klimt’s Nudes appear to be more graphic than the more historical nude works. As well, the more contemporary artists that deal with nude artworks also appear to display more graphic nudes.
- Do you think that this could be another reason why more historical nude works are considered okay to show within the classroom compared to more contemporary artworks?
Debrief: 10-15 minutes
- In a question period, the teacher will direct discussion towards having the students share what they found controversial in each station.
- Students will be asked to describe how a particular work is, or is not, controversial given it’s historical context.
- Students will be asked if the work still qualifies as controversial today, and why or why not.
Assessment for Learning
Debriefing - Assessment for Learning:
Teacher can use the following checklist to check for learning among all of the students:
Teacher can use the following checklist to check for learning among all of the students:
- Has the student participated at each of the exploration stations?
- Does the student identify works that are clearly controversial?
- If not, does the student recognize that such work may be considered offensive to someone else and provide reasons why?
- Does the student refer to the historical context when referring to the controversial aspect of the work?
- Has the student attempted to make connections to topics that are considered controversial today?
Homework:
- Students will research a controversial artwork/artist, and will include images of the controversial artist’s work in their sketchbooks.
- Students will complete a brief biography and detailed description of the topic of controversy (This homework assignment would work as a literacy piece as well).
Assessment for Learning
The following rubric may be used when assessing the homework assignment:
Category
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Criteria
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Level 1
50-59%
-limited, needs to improve
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Level 2
60-69%
-some, work is adequate
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Level 3
70-79%
-competent and effective
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Level 4
80-100%
-refined, highly skilled work
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K/U
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-An understanding of the controversial issues explored in the artist’s work is evident.
-Knowledge regarding the specific controversial issue and why it is regarded as offensive to various groups is reflected.
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T/I
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-Biography shows evidence of thorough research and provides details about the artist’s life and art work
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APPN
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-An appropriate selection of images has been chosen to reflect the controversial issues explored by the artist.
-Image selection shows a range of media and subject matter
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COMM
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-Writing is concise and shows strong connections between the artist’s work and the controversial issue.
-Proper grammar, sentence structure, and spelling are evident throughout the work.
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Art History Lesson:Checklist
*This checklist is intended for teacher use as the unit is progressing to help with the final assessment of the lesson/unit
Checklist to Indicate Understanding:
- Students are able to engage in discussion (or in writing, if necessary) and describe elements of controversial art.
- Students are able to discuss and describe what makes an artwork controversial in relation to backgrounds, bias, tolerance, and differing opinions.
- Students understand why art works are controversial or were considered controversial within the context they were created.
- Students are able to express their own opinions of the works shown and examined, and be able to clearly, with evidence, justify and explain their reasoning.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010, revised). The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: The Arts. Toronto, ON: Ontario Ministry of Education.
Image References:
Edouard Manet's Olympia [Artwork] Retrieved July, 27, 2014, from:
Blue Nude: Memory of Biskra (1907) [Artwork] Retrieved July, 27, 2014, from:
Pastoral with Candlestick and Nude [Artwork] Retrieved July, 27, 2014, from:
Chokwe peoples, Angola [Figure] Retrieved July, 27, 2014, from:
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