Francisco Goya
Yesterday we presented The Clothed Maja, so today it is time for The Naked Maja. The painting is renowned for the straightforward and unashamed gaze of the model towards the viewer. It has also been cited as among the earliest Western artworks to depict a nude woman's pubic hair without obvious negative connotations (such as in images of prostitutes). With this work Goya not only upset the ecclesiastical authorities, but also titillated the public and extended the artistic horizon of the day. The painting carries many of the traditions of depictioning the nude in Spanish art, but marks a clear break in significant ways, especially in her bold gaze. Further, the accompanying pendant showing a woman in contemporary dress makes it clear that the focus of the work is not of a mythological subject but in fact of a nude Spanish woman. Both paintings were commissioned by the Spanish Prime Minister Manuel de Godoy. It has been conjectured that the woman depicted was Godoy's young mistress, Pepita Tudó.
It has also been suggested that the woman was María del Pilar Teresa Cayetana de Silva y Álvarez de Toledo, 13th Duchess of Alba, with whom Goya is rumored to have been romantically involved and whose portrait he painted twice, in 1795 and 1797. Others believe that the woman is a composite of several different models.