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For my timeline project, I will be focusing on the nude representation of Black women within visual art. For the first couple of works of art, I will use images of nude black women created by white artists and analyze how the body is portrayed. The other pieces of art within my timeline will be representations of the nude Black female body created by Black artists, and intentionally empower the Black woman within the art. The nude Black female body has historically been a point of ridicule and shame. Janell Hobson revisits the impact of the objectification and fetishization of Saartjie Baartman in the article, “The ‘Batty’ Politic: Toward an Aesthetic of the Black Female Body.” According to Hobson, Black artists who choose to revisit the Black female body as an aesthetic find themselves challenging the dominant narrative of the Black woman’s body as grotesque. As Black women’s bodies have historically been ridiculed, they are often viewed as a representation of “deviant sexuality.” Within the art I have selected, I want to show the strength of representing the nude Black female body as a way to reclaim control over one’s sexuality and body, something that has been taken from Black women for centuries.

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Albert Eckhout, Black Woman With Child, 1641, Oil on Canvas, 267 cm (105 in) × 178 cm (70 in)

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This image by Albert Eckhout portrays a Brazilian woman with her presumed son at Maurisstad, which was the capital of the Dutch colony in Brazil. The identity of the woman and child are unknown. One important detail within this image is the overflowing basket of fruit the woman holds, because fruit often represents sexuality and promiscuity. I argue this image is a representation that purposely objectifies the nude Black female body. This artwork is a representation of the ways that colonization intentionally sexualized Black women as a way to control the narrative of Black people.

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Marie-Guillemine Benoist, Portrait of Madeleine (formerly known as Portrait of a Negress), 1800, oil on canvas, 81 x 65 cm

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 Portrait of Madeleine (formerly known as Portrait of a Negress) - 1800

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 Portrait of Madeleine (formerly known as Portrait of a Negress) - 1800

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This painting is significant because it was first exhibited in 1800 at the Louvre, and was subject to a large amount of negative criticism because it was shocking to see the display of the nude Black body in an esteemed museum. The woman in the painting, Madeline, is believed to be a freed slave because slavery was not legal in France at the time. Although she likely had very little influence on how Benoist chose to paint her due to her status as a Black woman. The somber look on Madeline's face in combination with the lack of autonomy she had shows me that this image is another example of nonconsensual nudity of the Black woman within Western art.

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Archibald J. Motley, Brown Girl After Bath, 1931, Oil on canvas, 48.25 x 36 inches

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Here, Motley pays homage to Black women as he portays the nude Black woman as sophisticated and angelic. The woman is composed as she stares at herself deep in reflection, at a vanity adorned with a lamp and flowers. This image is a stark contrast to the past two images as here, the Black female body is seen as a site of refinement. Additionally, while the woman is nude, there is no overtly sexual undertones as is often present within imagery of Black women.

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Faith Ringgold, Slave Rape #3: Fight to Save your Life, 1972, Oil on canvas with pieced fabric border,, 233.7 x 129.2 cm, 92 x 50.9 in

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Slave Rape #3: Fight to Save your Life - 1972

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Slave Rape #3: Fight to Save your Life - 1972

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This image is from The Slave Rape Series, consisting of 20 pictures depicting nude Black women within landscapes. In this painting, we see a pregnant Black woman holding an axe and holding her stomach, as she stares intensely at the viewer. The title suggests that this woman was forcefully impregnated. This depiction of the nude Black female body is a direct commentary on the sexual abuse Black women endured throughout slavery. Although, this woman is not weak, wielding a weapon she is depicted as strong and resilient.

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 Renee Stout, Fetish #2, 1988, Mixed media (plaster body cast), Height: 64 in

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This statue by Renee Stout is a created from a cast of her own body and adorned with accessories and images of meaning. The figure is a symbol of empowerment as it was inspired by statues called power figures, from Congo. Stout placed medicinal sacks on the statue protect herself and incorporated cowrie shells which are believed in to counter the male (or any unwanted) gaze, within some African cultures. Stout is making a statement that her body is hers, and her's only. It is not a place where men can sexualize and objectify, disregarding her bodily autonomy.

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Renee Cox, (After Saartjie Baartman) Hottentot Venus, Gelatin Silver Print, 1994 71 1/8 IN. X 54 3/8 IN

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Here, Renee Cox embodies the infamous Saartjie Baartman by attaching prosthetic breasts and buttocks to her own body. This image is a powerful protest of racism and the sexual stereotypes placed upon black women. She looks intensely into the camera, daring the viewer to gaze upon her body. Unlike Saartjie Baartman, Cox is a willing participant in the display of her body and in this way is vindicating the treatment Baartman was forced to endure.

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Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Nayyirah and Rasheeda, 2010, Oil on Canvas (dimensions not provided)

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This painting by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh depicts a young queer couple innocently gazing at the viewer, as one of the subjects gently kisses the other's shoulder. Here the representation of queer love and Black nudity is radical as queer relationships are often scorned within the Black community. Further, images of queer love, particularly between two femme-presenting individuals, are often sexualized for the male gaze. This image renounces this narrative and the two lovers are portrayed purely.

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Winnie Owens-Hart,  Wade in the Water, Sista (African American Women series), 2015, vitreous china, 31 in. (79 cm) in length. 

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Owens-Hart pottery is inspired by her apprenticeships in West Africa. The title of this pottery is significant because it pays homage to the African American spiritual "Wade in the Water," which was sung by slaves to warn slaves to get into the water to prevent being sniffed out by dogs hunting them down. In Owen-Hart's embodiment of this song, we see a nude Black woman rising from the water below her. The woman looks calm, and I interpret nudity here as a symbol of cleanliness as if she is washed from the suffering she has endured.

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Bianca Nemelc, Waiting to Ripen, acrylic on canvas, 2020.

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In this painting, Bianca Nemelc rejects negative stereotypes and standards placed upon the body of Black women. Here Nemelc celebrates the imperfections of the woman's body as her breasts are asymmetrical, but the woman is seemingly unbothered and comfortable in herself. The title "Waiting to Ripen" alludes to the reclamation of the subject's sexuality due to the seemingly sexual meaning fruit often holds. This painting is an ode to the nude Black female body, as the individual in the image is not subjected to the pressures of society.

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Somaya Critchlow, Yellow Dress, 2022, Oil on Linen,  33 x 23 ¼ in. 

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I chose this image as the last because it is the most sexual representation of the nude Black female, but here the woman is confident in her sexuality. The subject in the painting clutches her breast and stands proudly, facing the viewer. The intimate nature of this painting is undeniable and is a stark contrast to the first painting I selected. While the woman is undoubtedly sensual, the soft tones of the painting still contradict the harsh and violent sexual stereotypes that are placed upon Black women.

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Hobson, Janell. “The ‘Batty’ Politic: Toward an Aesthetic of the Black Female Body.” Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy, vol. 18, no. 4, Jan. 2003, pp. 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1527-2001.2003.tb01414.x.