The Nude
All Oleographs printed in Germany. c.1894
Dimension: a) 20 x 15.7 in, b) 16.5 x 12.5 in
Details
Two Views of
(a) A Nude being served Wine by an African Maid
(b) A Partially Nude lady reclining on a Chaise Lounge with a Lady Musician entertaining her within a oriental setting
The German model books depicting classical poses of men, women, and children. These magazines were advertised in Germany as AKTSTUDIEN (Studies in the NUD ) for the artist, but were generally bought as easily available erotic magazines during that time.
Literature
"Depiction of nudes easily provoked the censor, or one of the many groups professing to fight against social evils. Obscenity was always high on the agenda. In 1849 a case centered around the sale of " German Prints" featuring Nude Ladies extensively all over India. The Bombay High Court held that naked pictures of classical subjects were not Obscene, in that, the artist had higher ideals then those of merely exciting the sensual appetites of the spectators."
Excerpt from Raja Ravi Varma, Portrait of an Artist edited by Ervin Neumayer & Christine Schelberger. Oxford.
