The Bachelor Stripped Bare: The male nude in prints and drawings from the Renaissance to the 20th Century.

The image of the male nude has dominated western art from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. The privileged role of the iconic, classical nude, an ideal of power and beauty, was affirmed in the all-male life classes of the European Academies of art. This selection of over 70 prints and drawings from the permanent collection of the National Gallery includes images by artists of historic importance such as Alberti, Delacroix, Dürer, Gandolfi, Golzius, Raimondi and Rembrandt, as well as examples of the more modern school by Cézanne, Chagall, Hockney and Schiele, to name a few. Well aware of the complex aesthetic and social implications of his subject, Richard Hemphill, assistant curator of prints and drawings at the National Gallery of Canada, provides a commentary giving variety of perspectives on, and contexts for, these compelling works. Rarely seen outside of major museums, their appearance at the Dalhousie Art Gallery provides a unique experience these historic works.