Prostitution in art - Artists' illicit muses

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

In the past, it was difficult for a respectable woman to undress in front of anyone 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 was for purely artistic purposes; the painter sought to capture the anatomical silhouettes of his models in his paintings.

Prostitution in art

As we have indicated above, prostitution in art was a common resource among painters of yesteryear; even today, there are artists who resort to these resources in order to be able to express 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 Parisians at the time.

The position of her body, her cold gaze, the indifferent way in 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 hint at 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 of various brothels in the area. The artist always painted the everyday life of the trade; in his works he never demonised or demonised prostitution in art, he painted and shared the social relations that existed between prostitutes.

La Toilette is a piece painted in oil on cardboard, inspired by Carmen Gaudin, a laundress by trade who prostituted herself in order to survive. In the work, the artist reflects a little of this life, depicting in pastel colours a woman who lacks clothes and is surrounded by objects that are part of her everyday 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 brazenly, depicting her doing various 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 depicted prostitution in art. Most of his works were based on myths and stories, and were a frequent excuse to contemplate the bodies of naked women. 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. Branded immoral, the scene implies that Rolla, a hedonistic young man, has just had sex with a teenage prostitute; it is understood to be a prostitute because of the various objects surrounding the scene, such as the corset and the undone clothes. This scandal helped the play to become popular.

Pablo Picasso - Les Demoiselles D'Avignon

Picasso's style was always different from that of his contemporaries. Les Demoiselles D'Avignon is an uncomfortable, visually aggressive and comforting work. 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 "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 Paris at the time, reflected in his work in the faces of the prostitutes.

Conclusion

As you may have noticed, prostitution in art has been of great interest to a number of 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 finding out more about the historical aspects of the escort business, we invite you to read about the Most famous prostitutes in historyas well as of the Sex, prostitutes and brothels: the old West.