Gustave Courbet - Woman in the Waves [1868]

Gustave Courbet - Woman in the Waves [1868], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Between 1864 and 1868, Courbet produced a series of paintings of female nudes, including this one. In Woman in the Waves, Courbet simultaneously evokes the myth of Venus born of the sea, but slyly subverts the figure's pose, which derived from academic convention, by depicting the model's underarm hair - an element of realism underscored by the almost palpable quality of her flesh.

[Oil on canvas, 65.4 x 54 cm]