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

Ingres, La Grande Odalisque

Herakles (close),"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

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

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

Correggio, Jupiter and Io, detail with figures

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 February 19, 2019, https://smarthistory.org/a-brief-history-of-the-representation-of-the-body-in-western-painting/.