Over the centuries, the human body has been art's foremost subject, and artists' representations of it speak volumes about who we are as a culture in any given era. Profusely illustrated, this substantial compendium assesses paintings by such artists as Botticelli, Ingres, and El Greco—considered controversial in their era—before delving into the increasingly experimental or transgressive images created by Marc Chagall, Vincent Van Gogh, Kara Walker, Louise Bourgeois, Gustav Klimt, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, Joseph Beuys, and Andy Warhol, among others. Examining these far-ranging works, the texts explore what art can tell us about our conceptions of beauty, gender, religion, and identity.