Progression of Human Form - Diana Leaving the Bath

12:00 AM

Progression of Human Form
Curated by Shahzad Aslam

François Boucher, Diana Leaving the Bath, 1742    

“Progression of Human Form” is an exhibit designed to study the evolution of the human form and the relevant artistic movements that impacted artist’s interpretations of figure. The seven pieces in the exhibit depict women. Some women are depicted with clothing while others are nude. The exhibit addresses works beginning in the 18th-century Rococo period up to abstract expressionism in the mid twentieth century.

The female nudes depicted in Boucher’s Diana Leaving the Bath are exemplary of the Rococo style and are somewhat reminiscent of the Baroque era. Rococo artists such as Boucher retained some qualities from the baroque while breaking away from others. The rich use of creamy colors, and irregular balance, were kept from the baroque period while the grandeur, overly ornate, and heavily politically focused aspects were forgotten. Moreover, as depicted in Diana Leaving the Bath, the subject matter of rococo works often were more playful and had an air of sexuality and connection to the natural world unlike the preceding works in other artistic movements. Boucher’s depiction of the nudes appears visually and anatomically realistic. The style is reflective of the renaissance masters. Boucher paints the goddess Diana and a nymph in perfect human form with approximately normal features.

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