Nude on a Couch

Caillebotte's "Nude on a Couch" is at once open and ambiguous. The figure lies on an overstuffed divan, with one arm crooked over her face, in apparent exhaustion. Nothing specific "happens" in the picture. The artist gives no clues as to past or future. Yet the model's revealed body is so plainly there that it unsettles viewers purely by its realism, pointing out just how much modern detachment 19th Century paintings of nudes promise, but how much staginess and old-fashioned storytelling actually remains.This picture belongs with a group of studies of male and female nudes painted by Caillebotte in about 1880. It is unique, however, for the uncompromising realism of its anatomical observation and for its apparent sexual innuendo. The model would eventually become Caillebotte's mistress. The artist has challenged the prevalent standards of taste and morality, which only accepted the academic tradition of idealized nudes in paintings. Because of its effrontery, this picture was neither exhibited nor sold during Caillebotte's lifetime.

We would like to dedicate this masterpiece to one of our users - Sandra, who proudly volunteers at Minneapolis Institute of Art.

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