A brief history of the representation of the body in Western painting

by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris

Smarthistory images for teaching and learning:

Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George

Herakles (close),"Niobid Krater"

Enhanced detail with Artemis against a black ground, "Niobid Krater"

Hunefer's Book of the Dead, detail with Thoth, Hunefer and Horus

Giovanni Bellini, San Zaccaria Altarpiece, detail with Virgin and Child, Catherine and Lucy

Detail fo the Madonna and Child from Simone Martini's Maesta in the Palazzo Pubblico

Raphael, Galatea, detail with Galatea

Correggio, Jupiter and Io, detail with figures

Circle of the Master of Pedret, The Wise and Foolish Virgins (left detail "foolish" far)

Ingres, La Grande Odalisque

More Smarthistory images…

Cite this page as: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "A brief history of the representation of the body in Western painting," in Smarthistory, August 10, 2015, accessed September 26, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/a-brief-history-of-the-representation-of-the-body-in-western-painting/.