Artwork
Female Nude
Female Nude is an oil painting by Francesco Hayez. It dates from 1859 and is held in the collection of the Pinacoteca di Brera.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The figure is positioned in contrapposto, her weight shifted onto one leg, with visible dimples of Venus, defined waist and hip, and a chignon of black hair.
The painting depicts a standing female nude seen from behind, rendered with precise anatomical attention. The figure is positioned in contrapposto, her weight shifted onto one leg, with visible dimples of Venus, defined waist and hip, and a chignon of black hair. She is barefoot, underweight in build, and situated against a plain wall.
Iconographically, the work belongs to the academic nude tradition: the subject is anonymous, without narrative attributes or mythological identity, emphasizing pure physical form over storytelling. The back view and the detailed rendering of the buttocks, intergluteal cleft, and gluteal sulcus frame the body as an object of aesthetic contemplation. The absence of setting or props strips away context, focusing the viewer on idealized anatomy and the classical pose.
Technique & Style
oil paint on canvas (105 cm × 70 cm) in a classical contrapposto pose, rendered with delicate modeling of the female form against a simple wall backdrop, emphasizing anatomical precision in the back, waist, hips, and gluteal region, with subtle details such as dimples of Venus and barefoot tread; the work conveys quiet dignity through restrained composition and naturalistic handling of light on the nude figure.
History & Provenance
Francesco Hayez's 1859 oil painting Female Nude is held in the collection of the Pinacoteca di Brera. The work, which depicts a standing female figure viewed from behind, measures 105 cm in height and 70 cm in width. While the artwork's current location and creation date are documented, the available sources do not provide specific inventory numbers or a record of its exhibition history.
Overview
Created in 1859, Female Nude is an oil painting by Francesco Hay Ez, a prominent figure of the Italian Romantic movement based in Milan. The work presents a solitary female figure seen from behind, positioned on a ledge against a weathered stone surface. It is part of the collection of the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Hayez (Italian:; 10 February 1791 – 12 February 1882) was an Italian painter.
