Let us contemplate shocking nudes...

Christie Davies contemplates shocking nudes and finds the first post-modernist: Modigliani and His Models at the Royal Academy

"The Modigliani exhibition reveals three important aspects of his work: how shocking his nudes are; the skill with which he produced portraits that were both generic Modigliani and portrayals of real people; and Modigliani's position as the first post-modernist.

Modigliani's naked women are erotic, designedly so, and have to be judged as such. No doubt sour feminists who prefer male gays to the male gaze will see them as pornographic precursors of Playboy centrefolds but quite frankly, who cares?

Actual individual women are not objects because they have free-will. Paintings and photographs of naked women are objects and they might as well be sex objects as any other kind. Most gifted painters are male and heterosexual and so, unless constrained by social convention, that is what they will tend to paint. Men and butch lesbians will see them as being simultaneously aesthetically and erotically inspiring but there is no reason to suppose that these are incompatible..."

Brought to you by: The Roman Catholic Boys for Art...

"Modigliani...Now you're talk'in!"