Male Trouble: A Crisis in Representation

by Abigail Solomon-Godeau

Why did the male nude become an object of spectacle and erotic display in French painting and sculpture in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries? And why have art historians turned a blind eye to the "crisis" at this historical turning point in the representation of masculinity, away from idealized models to that of androgynous and feminized male nudes? Why was the male nude later eclipsed in art by the female nude? In this pioneering and compelling book, the author explores how the beautiful male body dominated neoclassical visual culture, and why it spoke so powerfully to male spectators. Whether in the guise of virile heroes or languishing adolescents, in both familiar and now-obscure works of art, the imagery of ideal masculinity raises important questions about the fashioning of masculinity itself, as evident in contemporary mass culture as in the elite culture of the past. Drawing on feminist, psychoanalytic, and critical theory, as well as art and cultural history, Solomon-Godeau proposes a radical reassessment of neoclassical visual culture.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

264 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Abigail Solomon-Godeau is an American art critic, exhibition curator and art historian. She is Professor Emerita of the Department of History of Art and Architecture at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of several books, including Photography at the Dock: Essays on Photographic History, Institutions, and Practices; Male Trouble: A Crisis in Representation; Rosemary Laing; Chair à canons: Photographie, discours, féminisme; and coauthor of Birgit Jürgenssen.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite reading this for school, I really enjoyed it. It's approachable in a way many scholarly books are not.

[Z00b · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book, and I love Abigail Solomon-Godeau as well. That being said, the book is - sadly for me - a little over my head. It has been taking me forever to read. I think it is fascinating, though, and have used many ideas in it to inspire my exploration of art and photography. I don't exactly know if I'll finish reading it, but I do love to pour through the photos now. I did read her other book - photography at the dock and could follow through to her conclusion and get a lot out of it. I guess what is amazing about Solomon-Godeau is that you CAN get a lot out of her ideas even if you don't fully understand them. This review sounds SO unprofessional.

Anyway, her ideas about homosociality are fascinating. The simple understanding - backed with data - that gender roles have been fluid and have gone through oscillating cycles throughout history is one that any child of relativism must know about. It is filled with factoids that you can use to throw at homophobic anti-gay protesters who insist that men and women have always been separate. That's useful, I think. It's just so solid. I haven't read enough art history, and it's been an awesome, yet overwhelming introduction to the field.

[Lewis colburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an informative and challenging text. Godeau argues that the shift from the prevalence of the male nude in art to the female nude accompanies the shift from aristocratic to bourgeois society in France- it's not just art history, there are some interesting contemporary parallels...