The late Sir Kenneth Clark wrote an entire book on the subject of the nude in art. Titled "The Nude." It's a wonderful look at the wide range of emotions and aesthetic conventions found in representations of the nude (male and female) in western art. Grab a copy and peruse, it's wonderful...and if you're female it is the perfect antidote to all those sticklike women in the fashion mags: whatever your body type, some artist has depicted it in a loving celebratory fashion.