Ballerina, 1927 By Henri Matisse

Whether concealed by a fig leaf or locked by a chastity belt, a woman's erogenous area has traditionally been kept hidden from view. Flouting convention, Manuel Alvarez Bravo staged this scene by clothing the model's upper thighs, hips, and waist, and exposing her pubic region.

"Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium" reexamines the arc of Mapplethorpe's photographic work. Now on view through July 21st.

"Interior of Roman Building with Figures," Ettore Forti, late 19th century. Oil on canvas. J. Paul Getty Museum. | Ettore Forti meticulously researched the classical objects and decorations in this historical genre painting, but he improbably combined a grand, luxurious setting with an intimate, domestic social gathering.

"Hercules and Omphale," Luigi Garzi, about 1700 - 1710. Oil on canvas. J. Paul Getty Museum. | At the center of this lush pleasure scene lounges Omphale, queen of Lydia, an ancient country bordering on the Aegean. After she bought Hercules, wearing his lion's pelt at the left, as a slave and her lover, he served her for three years, ridding the land of robbers and other pests and fathering at least three of her sons.

"Diana and Her Nymphs in a Landscape," Laurent de La Hyre, 1644. Oil on canvas. J. Paul Getty Museum. | Diana and her nymphs rest and bathe after the hunt, their catch guarded by a loyal hound in an idealized landscape furnished with classical ruins.

"Dolce Farniente” (1877) by Auguste Toulmouche (1829-1890), French painter, known for his portraits of Parisian women.

"[Portrait of Jane Morris (Mrs. William Morris)]," negative July 1865; print about 1900, John Robert Parsons. Gelatin silver print.

Seated Dancer In Pink Tights - Henri de Toulouse -Lautrec

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856–1925). An Out-of-Doors Study, 1889. Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund (20.640) | This work is in our “Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends,” on view through October 4, 2015.

french-painters.blogspot.com/

The Athenaeum - Girl in a white dress resting on a sofa (Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens - )

After François Boucher | 1703-1770 | Lady in Oriental Costume, Seated Upon a Divan | The Morgan Library & Museum

L' Air; Aristide Maillol (French, 1861 - 1944); design 1938; cast 1962; Lead; 127 × 238.8 × 93.3 cm, 687.1995 kg (50 × 94 × 36 3/4 in., 1515 lb.); 2005.113.1; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Gift of Fran and Ray Stark; Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

Portrait of a Young Woman Reclining; Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862 - 1918); Austria; 1897–1898; Black chalk; 45.5 × 31.5 cm (17 15/16 × 12 3/8 in.); 2009.57.1; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

The Model Resting; Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864 - 1901); 1889; Oil on cardboard; 65.4 × 49.2 cm (25 3/4 × 19 3/8 in.); 84.PC.39; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States