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EN
Hans von Aachen (attributed)
Satyr exposes Nymph
Approx. 1600
Erotic Art Museum Hamburg, Germany

12-36-Satyr enthuellt Nymphe Aachen

List of sources:
http://kunstdirekt.net/weinrausch/
kunst/kuenstler/aachen/aachen.htm


 

    Satyr is a natural spirit and appears as a hybrid being, half human and half animal. He is considered as male equivalent to nymph who is always represented in a human form. The observer's look is drawn immediately to the exposed vulva of the nymph who is in the center of the artwork and thus in the center of the view. The pubic hair and labia are depicted in a natural way and are distinct from the woman's Inkarnat[1] in terms of colour. Such explicit representations of genitals were only imaginable in a mythologic context. When looking at the picture the observer inevitably plays the role of the voyeur who is watching the insistently erotic scene. The woman appears as a sought-after, but passive object. In this depiction a man is confronted with the woman. The erotic image contents of the following ages tend to present the female body in an erotic way for the male gaze[2]. Satyr was a representative for the instinctive masculinity[3].

Biography: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_von_Aachen

(Translation: C. Wilhelm)