Prostitution in art - Artists' illicit muses

It is well known that several famous painters have portrayed prostitution in art; from Manet to van Gogh, there are famous artists who have depicted prostitutes in their works. This is a very common practice among painters of yesteryear, because in order to depict the body of a naked woman, it was not easy to find someone willing to take off her clothes as an escort.

Before, it was difficult for a respectable woman to undress before someone other than her husband, so artists had to resort to people who could let them see her naked body, the easiest and most frequent being a prostitute. Most of the time, the hiring of the services of these precursors to the escorts, were for purely artistic purposes; the painter sought to capture in his paintings the anatomical silhouettes of his models.

Prostitution in art

As we have indicated before, prostitution in art was a common resource among painters of yesteryear; even today, there are artists who resort to these resources in order to capture their art from a more vivid and natural point of view.

Édouard Manet - Olympia

While it is known that the muse for the creation of Olympia was not a prostitute, but Victorine-Louise Meurent, a famous model among the artists of the time; the very image of the woman in the painting is. Olympiaan oil painting on canvas, was first exhibited in Paris in 1865, causing a stir among the Parisians of the time.

The position of her body, her cold gaze, the indifferent way with which she looks at the bouquet held by her servant; as well as the black ribbon tied around her neck and the orchid in her hair, clearly imply Olympia's profession, even her name is associated with prostitutes.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - The Toilette

Toulouse-Lautrec was an assiduous fan of prostitutes, it is known that he was a frequent client of the Moulin Rouge and various brothels in the area. The artist always painted the daily life of the trade; in his works he never demonized or demonized prostitution in art, he painted and shared the social relationships that existed among the prostitutes.

La Toilette is a piece painted in oil on cardboard, inspired by Carmen Gaudin, a washerwoman who prostituted herself to survive. In the work, the artist reflects a bit of this life, depicting in pastel colors a woman who lacks clothes and is surrounded by objects that are part of her daily life.

Vincent van Gogh - Sien

It is not common to associate Vincent van Gogh with prostitutes, being more relevant his self-portraits, sunflowers and his starry night sky; however, like many other artists of his time, van Gogh painted prostitutes. Sien was a homeless woman who was pregnant by the time the artist met her; to everyone's surprise, Van Gogh took in the prostitute, her daughter and her subsequent child.

The painter detailed the woman with brazenness, painting her doing different everyday things; such as feeding her child, smoking a cigarette or simply appreciating her nudity.

Henri Gervex - Rolla

Gervex was one of the artists who most captured prostitution in art. Most of his works were based on myths and stories, being a frequent excuse to contemplate naked women's bodies. Rolla is inspired by a poem by Alfred de Musset.

Rolla was an oil on canvas painting that caused a stir from its conception in 1878. Labeled immoral, the scene implies that Rolla, a hedonistic young man, has just had sex with a teenage prostitute; it is understood that she is a prostitute by the various objects surrounding the scene, such as the corset and the undone clothes. This scandal helped the play to be popularized.

Pablo Picasso - Les Demoiselles D'Avignon

Picasso's style was always different from that of his contemporaries. Les Demoiselles D'Avignon is an uncomfortable work, aggressive to the eye and comfortable. This oil on canvas painting reflects the disjointed two-dimensional forms of the female body when naked; it is totally deprived of the sensuality and beauty of its muses.

Picasso's inspiration for the creation of this work was the "primitive" art, the incoherent manner of the forms. It is said that part of his inspiration was an exhibition of Iberian and African masks that were on display in the city of Paris at the time; being reflected in his work in the faces of prostitutes.

Conclusion

As you may have noticed, prostitution in art has been of great interest to several renowned artists. Famous for drawing silhouettes and sensuality, artists have gone hand in hand with the world's oldest profession, all for the love of art.

If you are interested in learning more about the historical aspects of the escorts' profession, we invite you to read about the Most famous prostitutes in historyas well as of the Sex, prostitutes and brothels: the old West.