The mannequin and painting in the first half of the 20th century: Reality versus artifice

Abstract

During the last few decades, the proliferation of countless papers on the importance of the nude in the study of anatomy as a part of artistic training stands in stark contrasts to the scant critical attention paid to the mannequin, in spite of serving as a substitute for the live model in artistic creation for more than five centuries, whether completely rejected or enthusiastically vindicated at the time. This work will address the controversial question of reality versus artifice in European painting of the first half of the 20th century, from the deliberate confrontation of the mannequin with the live model to the evocative even subversive character that this device, at once versatile and disturbing, will perform, in the oeuvre of the avant-garde.