Representations of the Body in Early Modern Spanish Art, Science, and Literature

Dear Colleagues,

Conceptualizations of the body during the Renaissance and Baroque periods reveal a renewed appreciation for human physicality. Influenced by Humanism, the Renaissance marked a shift from the medieval emphasis on the body’s sinful nature to a more balanced perspective that acknowledged both its physical and spiritual dimensions. Beauty, complexity, and potential of the human body were celebrated as reflections of a perfect divine will. Anatomical studies by figures such as Andreas Vesalius and Juan Valverde de Amusco advanced the understanding of the intricacies of human physiology, while art and literature glorified the body’s form as representative of classical ideals of harmony and proportion.

Conversely, the religious conservativism of the Spanish Counter-Reformation revivified a patristic conflicting view of the body, still revered as the most perfect work of art created by God but also regarded as an impediment to spiritual transcendence. This era underscored physical discipline and control as necessary means to accrue spiritual virtue and to triumph over sin. Often contrasted with the pure, immortal soul, the corruptible, earthly body was described in Platonic and Neoplatonic terms as a prison for the soul, a temporary vessel that hindered the intellect’s quest for truth and the soul’s pursuit of divine union and eternal salvation. Ascetic practices, such as fasting, penance, celibacy, and bodily mortification were promoted as necessary ways to purify the soul, subdue bodily desires, and align the body with spiritual ideals.

This call for papers invites scholars to explore the conflicting conceptions of the body during these transformative periods in Spain, examining how these views were transmitted in art, literature, and science. We seek contributions that delve into the representation of the body in early modern Spanish culture.

A list of relevant subtopics includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Nudity in art and literature;
• The senses and sensory perception;
• Political allegories of the body (i.e., the body politic);
• The body of Christ, the Eucharist, and transubstantiation;
• Control (or lack of control) of the female body;
• Physical monstrosities and physical ugliness or abjection;
• Non-normative bodies in early modernity;
• Beauty canons;
• Bodily alterations (cosmetics, clothing, etc.) or transformation (disguise/transvestism and its effects on gender).

Dr. Silvia Arroyo
Guest Editor

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• nudity in art and literature
• the senses and sensory perception
• political allegories of the body (i.e., the body politic)
• the body of Christ, the Eucharist, and transubstantiation
• control (or lack of control) of the female body
• physical monstrosities and physical ugliness or abjection
• non-normative bodies in early modernity
• beauty canons
• bodily alterations (cosmetics, clothing, etc.) or transformation (disguise/transvestism and its effects on gender)