There is some ambiguity as to the reasons why artists drew from the female nude. It is my belief that it served a dual purpose. The academic gave it a kind of respectable veneer, while underneath it was a way for artists to satisfy their private desires.
Both the visual arts and pornography have centered on the male gaze. This is what makes them serve a similar function to the one viewing it. The subject is fully unaware that someone is looking at her. She is in another place and time from the viewer.
There is some ambiguity as to the reasons why artists drew from the female nude. It is my belief that it served a dual purpose. The academic gave it a kind of respectable veneer, while underneath it was a way for artists to satisfy their private desires.
Both the visual arts and pornography have centered on the male gaze. This is what makes them serve a similar function to the one viewing it. The subject is fully unaware that someone is looking at her. She is in another place and time from the viewer.