Seated Nude 

Theophrastos Triantafyllidis painted this Seated Nude with oil on canvas at an unknown date. In Greece, at the turn of the twentieth century, the nude form was tied to classical ideals and academic artistic traditions. However, Triantafyllidis has not created an idealized form. The painting's loose brushstrokes and dark palette suggest a move away from established norms. The woman’s pose, turned away from the viewer, and the indistinct surroundings further distance this work from conventional, idealized nudes. Triantafyllidis's training in both Athens and Munich, where the academy was a stronghold of traditional painting, makes his movement toward the avant-garde even more striking. His choice to depict a more intimate, unidealized version of the nude challenges the viewer to reconsider the power dynamics inherent in the genre. To understand the full scope of such a move, we might look to exhibition records, critical responses, and the artist's own writings. Placing the artwork back into its historical context reveals the artist's role in shifting cultural values.