Introduction
The cold and emotionless nudity of Ancient Greek statues has become so common to an average viewer that the lack of clothes and the presence of numerous anatomic details on sculptures no longer warrants even a snicker. However, the perception of nakedness in ancient Greece art pieces has experienced significant changes when comparing the impression that the statues produced then to the meaning that they carry nowadays.
Aphrodite: In Search for the Authorial Intent
While the idea of Ancient Greek statues being mostly nude no longer surprises an average viewer, the famous Aphrodite of Knidos creates quite a commotion in the Ancient Greek society at the time. Being the first sculpture in Ancient Greece to feature a nude body in a manner so innocent and simultaneously daring, Aphrodite of Knidos signified a breakthrough in the evolution of art and sculpture, in particular (Buell 3). Despite the copious amount of time that has passed since the creation of the statue, the authorial intent can still be tracked down.
It is worth noting that the decision to depict Aphrodite’s nudity plainly, without any noticeable exaggerations that could define its role as the goddess of fertility was the landmark choice that made the statue unique. Indeed, unlike the statues that represent women with exaggerated sexual attributes, the one of Aphrodite of Knidos simply represents the beauty of the female body. Being an outrageous idea at the time, it revels in its ostensible shamelessness, portraying a goddess as an actual woman and at the same time refusing to define its role as that one of a child bearer.
The Meaning of Aphrodite’s Nudity: The Culture of Ancient Greece
With the intent of the author being to move away from the traditional portrayal of the goddess and the female body, in general, the interpretation of the meaning that Aphrodite of Knidos contained was mostly geared toward the reconsideration of the social hierarchy and the role of women in it. Therefore, when considering the art piece under analysis, one will have to take into account the fact that the sculpture was supposed to represent the anthem to the beauty of the female body (Buell 4).
Being devoid of the staples of representation of femininity that were seen as necessary at the time, Aphrodite of Knidos imbued a new meaning both into art and society’s interpretation of femininity. The statue challenged the idea that a woman could only be assigned a single role, which allowed affecting the status of women in Ancient Greece (Buell 3) Although the art piece could not resolve the problem of blatant inequality in ancient society, it sparked the discussion that had the potential of turning into a vast argument.
In addition, to understand the role that Aphrodite’s nudity played in the context of the Ancient Greek culture, one will need to consider the social status of women on the specified time slot. According to Konstantinou, in Ancient Greece, women were deemed as very low-status people and, consequently, were denied even the minimum number of rights that any other citizen of Greece could enjoy (6). Specifically, Konstantinou states that, while having different experiences, women mostly lacked independence (7).
Therefore, the idea of Aphrodite’s nudity could be regarded as both challenging people’s perception of women yet also confining it to another set of prejudices and focusing on women’s appearance explicitly (Kleiner 143). It challenges the status quo, allowing the viewers to view women in a different light and seeing them in a different role. Thus, in the context of the Ancient Greek culture, the nudity of Aphrodite of Knidos can be seen as one of the most daring experiments in sculpture due to the author’s attempts at pushing the social boundaries.
Modern Interpretation of Aphrodite’s Nudity: Changes in Perspective
As stressed above, the initial representation of Aphrodite of Knidos was far from the unproportioned sculptures that were supposed to land fertility and maternity. However, the original sculpture still contained the staples of the period, such as the emphasis on breasts as a symbol of fertility (Kleiner 144). However, as time passed, the idea of femininity and, thus, the interpretation of Aphrodite’s appearance, changed to gain new shades of meaning. With the development of the feminist theory and its integration into the context of art analysis, the perception of Aphrodite’s nudity became the idea of the celebration of the female body and the endeavor at expanding the social boundaries of women’s self-identification.
Therefore, the contemporary renderings of Aphrodite’s nudity are varied, with some focusing on the idea of female empowerment when viewing it through the prism of its historical context. Others, however, tend to see the notion of Aphrodite’s nudity being taken out of context far too often to reinforce harmful stereotypes associated with the male gaze (Barrow and Silk 6). Thus, the contemporary perception of Aphrodite’s nudity may take the forms of animosity toward the idea due to the possible perpetration of stereotypes linked to women and their appearances. Specifically, the modern perception of Aphrodite’s nudity may veer off to viewing it as a message of women being passive agents and eyesight for men.
Therefore, at first glance, the contemporary interpretation of Aphrodite’s nudity does not share a significant number of elements with its initial notion. However, scrutinizing the problem closer, one will realize that the current perception of the sculpture also implies subverting gender expectations and can be deemed as the visual interpretation of female liberation. Due to the lack of gender-related tropes that are currently reinforced in modern society, the statue embodies a tribute to femininity and a female body.
Alterations in Perception and the Factors Behind Them
The reasons for the changes in the way in which Aphrodite’s nudity has been interpreted across centuries can be explained by the changes in the society, including the values that are upheld by its members and the roles that they play in everyday relationships. Due to the rigid standards and the unyielding hierarchy of Ancient Greek society, the idea of representing a woman not as a child bearer but as a human being that can be proud of her body was outrageous and warranted extensive discussions. Nowadays, with the evident tendency toward introducing the principles of equity and equality into social interactions, the nudity of Aphrodite does not invoke the same range of emotional responses. Instead, the emotions that it spurs run the gamut of indifference to the aesthetic pleasure to the indignation at the idea of perpetuating the stereotypes of the female body and a general appearance (Kleiner 156). The development of the theories of social relationships and the feminist perspective has allowed seeing the nudity of Aphrodite not only as a statement of female independence and agency but also as a vast variety of notions.
Conclusion
Due to the changes in the extent of women’s agency in society and the interpretation of their social roles, as well as the associated change in the perception of women’s appearance, the interpretation of Aphrodite’s nudity has changed significantly. While initially being a daring attempt at challenging social norms and allowing women to break out of the confinements of the sole role of a child-bearer with which they were assigned, the contemporary interpretation of the art piece is dual. On the one hand, the statue remains the manifestation of femininity and the attempt at lading and complimenting femininity. On the other hand, the image of Aphrodite has been used in popular culture to the point where it has lost its original meaning and could potentially be regarded as the reinforcement of stereotypes associated with physical appearance.
Nevertheless, the perception of Aphrodite’s nudity across centuries has proven that art cannot exist outside of its social context and that the roles that people play in the societal hierarchy shape how these relationships are represented in art pieces. At the same time, the analysis of the changes in the perception of Aphrodite’s nudity indicates that there is a clear link between the introduction of new ideas into society and the interpretation of the meanings with which artwork is imbued. Although Aphrodite was initially supposed to challenge the status quo of the Ancient Greek society, its meaning has been lost due to the constant reiteration of the image in the popular culture, thus allowing it to gain a vast array of additional meanings and helping people to view the art piece in question from a personal perspective.
Works Cited
Barrow, Rosemary, and Michael Silk. Gender and the Body in Greek and Roman Sculpture. Cambridge University Press, 2018.
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Global History. Vol. 1. 15th ed. Cengage Learning, 2015.
Konstantinou, Ariadne. Female Mobility and Gendered Space in Ancient Greek Myth. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.