Exposed: The Victorian Nude

1 November 2001 - 13 January 2002

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John Everett Millais, The Knight Errant 1870, Tate

British artists took up the challenge of the nude in the early Victorian era as part of a mission to formulate a national style of figurative painting. In this they were supported by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were enthusiastic patrons of the nude. Artists took inspiration from British history and literature, but were careful to select subjects which conveyed a moral or religious message. However, they also turned to scenes of fantasy for more daring treatments of the body. Lady Godiva was a popular subject at this time, as were scenes from Spenser's The Faerie Queene and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Sculpture was generally considered a more suitable medium for the nude because the
whiteness of marble was associated with purity. By contrast, the influence of Titian encouraged painters to offer more robust, fleshy types. Naturalism was prized as an 'English' virtue, but several artists who produced overtly physical descriptions of the figure were accused of indecency.