HISTORY OF THE MALE PHYSIQUE THROUGH ART
Works of Egon Schiele
How Michelangelo’s David gets his physique
The history of monarchy and obesity Body Builders CONTROVERSIAL
-IVAN COYOTE Large diet Limited exercise Excessive wealth
Tudor go to fitness plan
4-5 The Farnese Hercules
Depiction of the Male Physique through the period of 650-480 BC Portrayed through the work of Michelangelo and Glykon Von Athen
6 -7 The Farnese Hercules
Depiction of the Male Physique through the period of 14th-16th century Portrayed through the work of Hans Holbein and B.J. Falk, Eugene Sandow
8-9 The Farnese Hercules
Depiction of the Male Physique through the period of The 1900’s Portrayed through the work of Egon Schiele and Joe, NYC
A presentation of how the Fine Arts depict the Male physique throughout history, presented as a Mens Health magazine to combine contemporary and traditional by pairing a new concept that addresses the most idealistic men with a traditional way that people throughout history demonstrated the goal for the male physique.
The Farnese Hercules
How do the Fine Arts…
What was happening in 650-480 BC?
#4
Depict the Male Physique in Art History?
The depiction of the male body has been developed throughout art history. This Has been dependent on the social climate of the era, the purpose of the art and how men wanted to be perceived through a sense of vanity. Archaic Era
G
reek sculptures which started in the archaic era from 650 BC to 480 BC were particularly representative of how Greek culture focussed on the human physique . Sculptures from this period of art history are known to be some of the first significant forms of the male figure being perceived through art on such a grand scale.This focus on the male physique was particularly evident in the first ever Olympics in Greece. It was participated in by men who were completely nude, demonstrating how the male form and nudity was a comfortable and accepted factor of their society. The Greeks demonstrated a very, what we would perceive as today, masculine figure with little to no clothing on. A typically idealised body often entailed a low BMI and a muscular physique which was demonstrated through the then idealised sculptures. Therefore there was a lot of representation of the male anatomy in art and sports highlighting how sexuality and nudity was comfortable. This becomes a continuous theme throughout art history, the male nude and its significance which lends itself to the question of why? Starting with ‘The Farnese Hercules’- Glykon Von Athen (Era: 800 BC-146 BC) which is a significant example of this fashion. This sculpture depicts the idea of the Greek hero, this is reiterated by the use of a lion skin on his wooden club to present a more ‘masculine figure’ which is deliberately captured by the artist as a sign of strength.This sculpture depicts the idea of the Greek hero, this is reiterated by the use of a lion skin on his wooden club to present a more ‘masculine figure’ which is deliberately captured by the artist as a sign of strength.
The process in which the sculpture was made was long and tedious which could refer to Sculptors often used the perception of these men in materials such as which to be a stereotypical limestone or marble, ‘masculine’ man you have to put this could be symbolic in long, strenuous manual labour in relation to the male so you could obtain the goal of physique and this body type and to be deemed character as these are ‘masculine’. Along with this his both strong durable pose and downwards facing eyes materials which could indicate that he is exhausted be put in comparison from his labour presenting him to this ‘manly’ persona as a tough and idealised hero which is represented as well created.However, through the statue’s height reference could be standing at 3.15 meters. Also, the made that both these fact that he stands on a pedestal materials are almost puts ‘Hercules’ at a higher extremely fragile position than the average human inferring that those as someone to look up to with this tough exterior because this is meant to be can be shattered in an idealised. Therefore, instant, and may not be emphasising every part of this as tough as they are statue represent the male perceived. physique and what was the standard at the time (an accomplished labourer who heroically handles his tasks)
ANALYSIS
The archaic period developed Greek politics, economic, international relations, warfare and culture. It took place from eight century BC to the second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC
‘The Farnese Hercules’Hercules was a Demi God in Greek mythology meaning he was half God half human. According to this belief he possessed meta human traits, most commonly known for his incredible level of strength. Born of Zeus, God of the sky, he inherited this ability.
Michelangelo’s ‘David’(1905) The back of the statue highlights how his task was accomplished by the holding of two ‘golden apples’ , in this case the ‘task’ is holding up the skies in place of the God atlas and his tiredness represents how Hercules was a very human hero therefore making this the perfect depiction of the greek ideal for men in society. So much so, engraved in the back was the quote “speculum romanae magnificentiae” translating to the mirror of Rome's magnificence. This is demonstrated by concealing Hercules’s possession of the Hesperides apples (nymphs of evening and golden light of sunset in greek mythology) regardless of whether he was tired or not he accomplished his task of holding up the skies. By doing this it set a precedent in the era of the statue for men to be accomplished labourers. This sets an ideal for ordinary men through the time by putting emphasis on his pose as he This may have been the perfect body, yet as the newspaper had a physicality that was perceived to be godly, his expression conveyed human weakness therefore The Guardian stated, ‘they have muscle groups that mortal making him identifiable to the layman. Demonstrating his humanity therefore putting him in the same men can’t achieve’- (2015). The quote demonstrates how league as those at the time making ‘Hercules’ the ideal. even in the era of the ancient Greeks men overcompensated for their muscle mass and how an ideal Michelangelo’s ‘David’(1905) demonstrate his devotion to God as a muscular body is just that, it remains an ideal for a specific reason that it can never be achieved. was no longer the exemplar as art tended to capture monks and other religious figures of the time, later contrasting with the religious work on Michelangelo’s This idealism later influenced more modern culture, as ‘David’ in 1504 . The artist presents a muscular, many fitness trends today involve developing your however not overly muscular, more boyish soft ‘Apollo's Belt’. Which is cleverly named because the physique, to which was seen as more idealistic at the Ancient Greeks truly set a standard for male beauty time in certain parts of the world e.g. Italy. This through art. sculpture puts emphasis on youth and how this physique exudes confidence and strength due to the This ideal was heavily influenced by religion in later years artists choice of stance. from the Middle Ages (800-1000 AD) saw a drastic change However, Michelangelo (1475- 1564) takes another in the type of art being released depicting men and their route to present David’s strength as unlike other form. Nudity , including men in general, became more of a artists' depictions like Andrea Del Castagno (1419 – taboo subject therefore answering my earlier question of 19 August 1457) which shows his heroic nature mid “why the representation of men nude showed so much battle. Michelangelo decides to present this by capturing his stance pre-battle. This is an homage to significance?” It was to present a more radical the Ancient Greek theme of the heroic male nude representation of men and tended to be a controversial known as a contrapposto pose. ‘David’ has become message that artists would often use in their work. one of the most recognisable pieces of Renaissance art (c. 14th century - 17th century) and stands as a symbol of strength and youthful beauty for the time highlighting the most admirable characteristics through this period of art on the male body. The sheer size of the statue emphasises its importance and the enlargement of certain features such as the hands and head were deliberate artistic decisions. It could be interpreted that because this statue was meant to be placed on a cathedral roofline therefore the most important features were supposed to be visible from below leading him to choose the hands and head emulating what the renaissance prioritised in terms of male beauty ( a physicality associated with labour).
The Farnese Hercules
RENAISSANCE- An artistic movement in Europe which represented a political and economic revival after the period of the middle ages. Size of the statue of David (alternative reasoning for size)- Could also be relating to the original religious story of that David slayed Goliath the giant therefore this could be a metaphorical height showing that body type didn’t mean as much to the renaissance as knowledge outweighed this
Holbein’s depiction of the royals This appreciation for the muscular male body was not reiterated in England later through the 13th and 14th century as through monarchs such as Henry VII who popularised a larger body type symbolising wealth. Art no longer was a way of expression and recording, it stood as a purpose to document as monarchs and the affluent. The rich tended to be the only ones that could appreciate and were exposed to art as it was a way to show off their wealth. Art presented in this way later helped to develop the western view of beauty.This can be seen in paintings of monarchs such as Hans Holbein’s portrait of Henry VII in 1536.This picture presents how the idealised body type for men through this era was often larger. To afford an abundance of luxuries like expensive food, resulting in a larger stature.
Typically monarchs and the rich would have a favourite artist that’ depicts them in the best way.
Throughout Holbein's earlier work he proved his skill in a current style in Germany, using accessories, a strong gaze and a dramatic silhouette. A lot of Holbein's more sophisticated paintings such as the one demonstrated in the photograph he tended to play around with the idea of surface and depth. On all of his more regal paintings that involved the inclusion of more expensive materials and jewellery he tended to use gold leaf to add a level of luxury to the painting. Not only did he carry out portraits for very important figures during the period he was a fashion designer for the court implementing that in all of his portraits. Hans Holbein was particularly trusted by Henry VII to depict him in these portraits, so much so he sent Holbein to the Continent to help select a bride by supplying him with a portrait of them so he could decide. Implying the confidence Henry VII had in his art style, which was held in high regard throughout this era because not only to be held in such high esteem by the King of England. But for him to have confidence in the realism of your art was a high compliment, because art through this period had a major focus on reality (due to the lack of photographs) rather than expression. However, the limit to his career came down to his own personal beliefs and his need for creativity (thought submitting to authority would diminish his creativity, as that allows him to bring out the beauty within these significant figures) as the lack of religious material was apparent throughout all of his paintings, and was heavily mentioned as a critique to his art style at the time due to the impact religion and the church had through Tudor England
Hans Holbein’s portrait of Henry VII - (1536)
The portrayal of the male stereotypical physique in this period is very narrowed due to the lack of portraits of poorer people, because only the rich could afford the luxury of art.
A muscular physique At this time,was looked down upon because you were thought to be a labourer meaning that you had to work to survive, consequently those who were heavier didn’t have to work therefore it was a sign of more wealth which is well presented in Holbein’s painting. This painting would have been seen as supreme due to his stature which demonstrates royalty without the need for regal attributes behind the monarch. His pose emphasises his power because of his legs being spread, yet muscular which was a sign of good health as it links towards strength, and arms on his hips along with this the artist presents a glove in his hand and an ornate dagger hanging from the right side of his waist portraying the image of a heroic warrior which tends to be a consistent theme throughout all of these paintings referring to the male physique. Potentially hinting towards why we have such a strong and heroic stereotype for men today as the idea could have originated through art at the time. His clothes and surroundings reflect his wealth due to the intricate detail and the use of the traditional way of painting with oils reflects how Henry VII could afford to have a trained professional paint him plus the original portrait incorporated gold leaf to further emphasise his abundance of wealth which seemed to be the basis of male beauty at the time.
What was happening in the 14th Century
#6
Those who posed for these paintings tended to include decorative items as a sign of riches, this was commonly achieved through materials and embroidered cloth. Everything in a Tudor painting would be symbolic and have a specific meaning. Nothing was placed by chance. People used dark colours and fabrics because these were the most expensive dyes, along with this the use of material and clothes were crucial, through the amount of layering to the specific fabric. Common materials and items of clothing to look out for were things such as: Ruffs, lace items worn around the neck that held no purpose other than a fashionable statement. The larger and more layering in the ruff the wealthier you appeared, this was due to the fact that lace had to be imported from Brussels or Italy therefore it was a sign of wealth. This can be witnessed through Anthony Van Dyke’s painting ‘Painting of a Man’ (1599–1641) where the image was quite dark and his placement displays him as wise and knowledgeable. The ruff displays him as wealthy due to its size and layering Gloves, gloves can be seen on men and women as a sign that you did not have to partake in manual labour. This in turn over emphasised their wealth because they did not have to resort to practical work to earn money. Practical labour, which can be seen through hard skin on the hands and the use of your hands for work, was a sign of poverty therefore delicate expensive gloves juxtaposed this. artists often developed a particular style that became covered by commissioners. Quite often paintings from the same artist would be very similar because regal or important figures would take a liking to a specific style or artist, therefore other artists tended to mimic the style presented. This was done to earn the admiration of a royal figure as that was the ultimate goal for all artists throughout this time
B.J. Falk, Eugene Sandow, fulllength nude portrait, standing by column, facing left, 1894 Body Builder (not common physique for men, so not expected)
Affluent man, so not expected from all. Wouldn’t be seen exactly on poorer people
Demonstration of a wealthy person in traditional Tudor clothing demonstrating hierarchy and social status Masculine beauty in the 18th century, similar to the Tudor era of the 16th and later in the 17th century, was expressed decoratively. This was typically through patterned waistcoats, eccentric wigs more than through your physical appearance. Yet, there were a few exceptions such as the popularity of tight trousers to show off muscular legs and fine hips in the height of horseback rising but one could argue that was to emphasise social status rather than physique. A shift into more of a physical emphasis can be witnessed in B.J. Falk, Eugene Sandow, full-length nude portrait, standing by column, facing left, 1894 portraying a german strongman, Sandow. This was the world's first commercial film strip, produced by Thomas Edison, and Sandow took part in the world's first bodybuilding contest seven years later. However, it took a while before the ideal body would make the jump from healthy, regular men to an overtly muscular physique focused on strength to obtain masculinity. As prior to this art, typically in America, demonstrated a regular man that was attainable, through the art conveyed a more wholesome factual account rather than expressive due to the lack of photography. Mainly due to the fact that art primarily was portraits of ‘regular people’ explaining why the male physique seemed ordinary through art. Following this showed a time of less muscle and more of a phrase coined the ‘dad bod’ where typically you were not slim yet not overweight either. A healthy medium as it was building on the idea of the attainable male physique. From the period of the late 1800s to the early 1900s yet art began to challenge this narrative.
‘Naked man with Crossed Arms’ When art took the shift from this purpose to document and started to become a more radical profession due to the development of photography making documentation through art unnecessary saw the development of artists such as Egon Schiele (12 Jun 1890- 31 Oct 1918) challenging the stigma against male beauty, incorporating the male nude in a completely different way contrasting to the original standard of beauty. He was extremely influenced by Gustav Klimt, his close friend and what he was doing with eroticism in paintings and the expressionism movement which faced much backlash at the time. This can be demonstrated through works such as ‘Nude Man with Crossed Arms’ - 1910
This point demonstrated how not only historical works of art should be idealised works of expression as well as in this period art was only displayed if it was deemed appropriate and lacked emotion. Therefore Schiele was making a point through this quote that erotic pieces that display meaning should be idealised as stated in much as or more than those that display fact. This was to challenge 1918 when ‘the female nude’ was the preconceived idea of male illustrated, relating back to my beauty by tackling gender previous point of the importance of stereotypes. the male nude. Egon Schiele famously stated
‘erotic works of art are also sacred’
‘Naked man with Crossed Arms’ Often his work would be used as a shock factor throughout that time because many limited it mainly to just pornographic filth, however there is an underlying meaning to his artwork. As presented through this piece Schiele contorts the body in very open and vulnerable positions leaving the model naked in their most vulnerable state delving into more deep rooted psychological meaning as it presents men in a way that hasn’t been perceived before. Before this, men tended to be only presented as heroic and strong whereas this artwork flips that on its head and presents men in the most feminine way possible, by posing with more delicacy and in lighter fabrics. Whereas before when men were portrayed through art the image was very heavy, dark and heroic. In an attempt to subvert this, when depicting men lighter colouring was used that was typically ‘feminine’, more fabric and the demonstration of emotion and expressive posing. This was done to change the preconceived idea of the male body. Schiele achieves this by using extravagant colours to fill in his paintings and leaving parts of the paintings exposed like the body. The choice of watercolour could be used to make a reference to the fluidity of the male representation and how it is forever changing because there is not one fixed perception of men.
‘Self-Portrait with Raised Arms’(1914)
The New Romantic Eraa pop culture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the night club scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy’s and The Blitz
Demonstration of Schiele’s art style, and often used himself as a model due to not typically masculine body type.
The Mighty Boosh- A British sitcom set up by Julian Barrant and Noel Fielding which took place between the years 2004-2007 as an edgy sitcom which poked fun at pop culture. Through the development of photography, the need for accurate paintings decreased therefore more expression was put into paintings and led to a less accurate approach to depicting the male body as portrayed through Schiele. However, through the development of photography the fluidity of the male identity was expressed further and the male body was looked less at as a stature of heroic nature and a muscular physique but more a symbol of sexuality and freedom through the works of photographers such as Robert Mapplethorpe who like Egon Schiele used erotic artwork to portray the male body but just modernised his work by using photography. This is demonstrated through artwork such as ‘Joe, NYC’1978
In summary, the male body was presented through art originally as a way to depict the ideal man. A man who presented strength and tended to be muscular, through the development of art this ideal changed to favour the wealthy therefore the physique developed into a fuller figure but through the creation of photography the need for accuracy was no longer there which led to the introduction of expressive art. This is personally my favourite period of art where the male form was presented because it portrays the body in a completely different way as if all forms of traditional masculinity were lost and pushes the boundary of what the traditional sense of the word ‘masculine’ truly means.
This picture was used to document the New York gay community. Mapplethorpe had the same intention as Schiele to encourage the sexualising of the male gender. He presents a more erotic version of the male body leaving it more exposed, he does this to shock audiences referring to his own work as ‘pornographic’. This photography presents the body as submissive and objectified, subverting the gender roles, differing from the original use for presenting the male body as heroic and all powerful. His photography presents the male body in a new light more vulnerable and sexualised than presented before and normalises the idea of male nudity like female nudity. Females often bare more for the camera therefore Mapplethorpe sets out to create that same normalisation through his work which worked mainly due to the popularisation of this one piece even later being referenced in shows such as ‘The Mighty Boosh’. Works like these led to a more fluid approach to the male identity encouraging expression of sexuality and sexualisation of men. Later carried on through movements such as the ‘New Romantic Era’ which embraced gay culture and was the firsttime men did not have to have the stereotypical ‘masculine’ look to be idealised and looked up to. This is captured through the works of Schiele and Mapplethorpe who set out too: Change the identity of men being sexualised from a taboo topic to a normalisation and do this through expressing the truest form of masculinity which arguably is nudity. So the male body through art develops from a literal physical depiction to a more symbolic likeness with a greater social meaning on equality and gender representation.
The male body represented through art has now become more expressive and more and more radical because once seen as a way to portray masculinity, it has now completely changed as a way to demonstrate masculinity through different forms. The best way to achieve this is by presenting the male body because it gives you a chance to express your masculinity by baring all for a painting or photograph but in doing so pushing the boundaries of what masculinity truly means.
Demonstrating that stereotypes are meant to be challenged to push the social normalities, putting society’s beliefs in question as that is the only true way to develop as a collective, well put by Ivan
Coyote ,gender-bending author (a title coined by
“I am a rare species, not a stereotype” Celebrating his CBC),
differences rather than trying to conform, and in my opinion that is the biggest message that has come throughout this research as trends will change and fashion will evolve. Therefore, why try and conform to a beauty standard that is ever changing and today is only put in place for the benefit of companies profit, so express yourself in a personal way as nobody can be you.