You will probably have noticed that nude art has been used in the western art world for thousands of years. But why have nude paintings been so popular in art for years? We will tell you more about this in this blog!
The first naked art
One of the oldest, and also smallest visual arts is the small statue called Venus of Willendorf, found in Austria. It is the first Venus figurine ever found and dates back to about 30-25,000 BC. Not much is known about the statue, but it does have very remarkable feminine features. The full breasts, big belly, thighs and buttocks show that the woman is probably heavily pregnant and almost certainly symbolizes fertility.
Even thousands of years ago, in Egypt and Babylonia, visual art could be found. Nudity works here to indicate status. Servants were often depicted naked or scantily clad, while the elite could be recognized by wearing clothes.
If we look at Greek art , the use of nudity is also characteristic here, especially the male nude . This is because the male nude was used to represent the ideal man. The reason that you often see women with clothes, is because the ancient Greeks believed that the man was the most complete human being. Women, on the other hand, were less ideal people, so they were depicted with clothing. 
Naked art in later times
In the Middle Ages, Christianity was one of the largest religions in the West. Within this belief, man would not allow himself to be seduced by the earthly, but rather be led by heaven. Because sexuality is so earthly, it was also considered something wrong. This is reflected in art : genitals were covered and sexuality was more or less forbidden.
This changed to some extent in the Renaissance. While the focus during the Middle Ages was on religion and the afterlife, in the Renaissance people rediscovered the beauty of the world and the human body. Human anatomy was studied during this period, and it was discovered that the skeleton had an influence on the outward shape of the body. This gave man a much more realistic form in nude paintings .
Visual art in this time
Visual art is still a frequently recurring subject today. Depicting the human being in its purest form, whereby the body itself is regarded as a work of art . Nudity can be depicted to shock, provoke reactions or simply to show the beauty of the human body.
“What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?”
- Michelangelo