Nøgen kvindelig model siddende på gulvet 1865 - 1917

Frans Schwartz made this etching of a nude woman sitting on the floor at an unknown date. This image presents a visual shorthand of a very specific cultural negotiation between artists, models, and the art academy. The nude female form has historically been seen as the foundation of academic training but at the same time, it has often been criticized as an excuse for male artists to indulge their voyeuristic desires. Made in Denmark, this etching reflects a period of social and cultural change. The frank depiction of a nude was part of a broader move towards naturalism in the arts, which aimed to represent the world as it is, without idealization. This approach often involved challenging traditional artistic and social norms. As art historians, we might turn to archival records from the Danish Academy and exhibition reviews of the time to find out more about the social conditions that made this artwork possible.