BEYOND THE BREAST

Political and social factors, that don't have much to do with artistic or aesthetic understanding of art, play a vital role in shaping community attitudes towards nudes.

- TEESTA BHANDARE

Contemporary Indian attitudes have long maintained a dichotomous view of the female form. We appreciate it when we see it/them on temple walls (think Khajuraho). We appreciate it when paintings depicting it fetch millions in auctions (think Souza). And we certainly appreciate it when we think of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. But when it comes to teaching it or embracing it in contemporary situations, we shy away from acknowledging the same female body enough. 

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU) houses one of the most prestigious fine arts departments in the country. However, after a few incidents where outsiders entered the university and disrupted nude drawing classes, live nude drawing was removed from the syllabus. For two reasons, one is the fear of offending those who have nothing to do with the course, and the second is the difficulty of getting nude models, especially women. Yet this year when I visited the Master of Fine Arts show in May, I noticed that of the 14 students whose works were on display from the painting department, six showed works depicting the female form and three showed them fully or partially nude. Unsurprisingly these students were all women.