ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses the evolution of the nude in the sculptural works of Mahmud Mukhtar, today one of the most renowned Egyptian artists of his generation. These works were created at the conjunction of multiple forces and influences: from Pharaonism, which sought to bridge the archaic past with the modern present within one aesthetic style and political discourse; to a nascent Egyptian nationalism seeking liberation from colonial rule and the affirmation of national independence; to Mukhtar’s assimilation of contemporary sculptural genres and stylistic syntaxes. The chapter groups Mukhtar’s nudes according to three phases of his biography, each corresponding to a predominant stylistic idiom. The text starts with a discussion of his early naturalist nudes produced during his studies in Cairo, in order to advance to the nudes made during his stay in Paris, where his work adheres to the social realist tradition. Finally, his later nudes, produced during the interwar years, became increasingly stylized under the influence of Art Deco and the national pathos of public monumentalism. These latest works can be assimilated to the idea of nation building, where subjects related to history and geography are a constant reminder of past greatness. At the same time, the modernizing syntax of Art Deco presents feminine nudity in Egyptian art as a true symbol of its modernity.
