In what ways did Manet's "Olympia" deviate from conventional depictions of the female nude?

This painting presented a clear challenge to the typical academic female nude. The conventional female nude was Classically modelled, with an even, well proportioned, alluring feminine body, of the type that had originated in Antiquity, and appeared throughout Western art since then. Manet contrasted this with his depiction of the main female figure in Olympia, she is not proportionately or even fully modelled, her skin tone is flat and she lacks shading. Furthermore, she challenges depictions of the typical female nude in that she does not present herself as sexually available, but instead confronts the viewer with a direct stare.

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Answered by Philip K. History of Art tutor

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