0147NOTAphroditeBirth

0147NOTAphroditeBirth_Peale

At a time of Puritanical conservatism regarding depiction of the human body, American artists still developed interest in depicting female nudes. A decade after Vanderlyn's controversial first American nude, Raphaelle Peale presented a witty response to the cultural milieu with this throughly veiled nude, ala trompe l'oiel. "The shapely arm that lifts Venus's wet hair just rises into sight at the top, while below we see her naked feet. To the male observer are left many possible reactions: shock ... prurient desire ... or simple happiness at the joke." W.L. Vance, America's Rome: Classical Rome (Yale, 1989), 220 - 21.

Some recalled this painting in 2002 when then U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft ordered veils to be placed in front of some statuary in the federal Department of Justice lest he be photographed in a compromised location. (See USA Today article.)