Naked Maja. The Nude Maja is a name given to a c. 1797-1800 oil on canvas painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
It portrays a nude woman reclining on a bed of pillows, and was probably commissioned by Manuel de Godoy, to hang in his private collection in a separate cabinet reserved for nude paintings. Goya created a pendant of the same woman identically posed, but clothed, known today as La maja vestida; also in the Prado, it is usually hung next to La maja desnuda.
The subject is identified as a maja based on her costume in La maja vestida. The painting is renowned for the straightforward and unashamed gaze of the model towards the viewer.
It has also been cited as among the earliest Western artwork to depict a nude woman's pubic hair without obvious negative connotations. With this work Goya not only upset the ecclesiastical authorities, but also titillated the public and extended the artistic horizon of the day.
It has been in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1901. Although the two versions of the Maja are the same size, the sitter in the clothed version occupies a slightly larger proportion of the pictorial space; according to art historian Janis Tomlinson she seems almost to press boldly against the confines of her frame, making her more brazen in comparison to the comparatively timid nude portrait. The painting carries many of the traditions of depictions of the nude in S
It portrays a nude woman reclining on a bed of pillows, and was probably commissioned by Manuel de Godoy, to hang in his private collection in a separate cabinet reserved for nude paintings. Goya created a pendant of the same woman identically posed, but clothed, known today as La maja vestida; also in the Prado, it is usually hung next to La maja desnuda.
The subject is identified as a maja based on her costume in La maja vestida. The painting is renowned for the straightforward and unashamed gaze of the model towards the viewer.
It has also been cited as among the earliest Western artwork to depict a nude woman's pubic hair without obvious negative connotations. With this work Goya not only upset the ecclesiastical authorities, but also titillated the public and extended the artistic horizon of the day.
It has been in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1901. Although the two versions of the Maja are the same size, the sitter in the clothed version occupies a slightly larger proportion of the pictorial space; according to art historian Janis Tomlinson she seems almost to press boldly against the confines of her frame, making her more brazen in comparison to the comparatively timid nude portrait. The painting carries many of the traditions of depictions of the nude in S
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