The Nude In Art And Beyond

Clare Purvis had been working at Levening Hall for two years now. It wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for herself at 24, after her MA in Fine Art, but it was a nice place to work, and the collection boasted some surprisingly good pieces of 18

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and 19

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Century paintings. Although she was really just a tour guide, she enjoyed talking about the collection, and sometimes there were visitors who knew enough to have an intelligent conversation about them. The Hall itself was Elizabethan originally, with a pele tower for protection against the marauding Scots, but extensively added to in the 1700s. It had been the home of the Cavenaugh family, the Earls of Heversham since 1729, for nearly 500 years. The 16

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Earl and his wife, Lady Cavenough, were Clare's employers. She knew the history of the old house off by heart now, in fact she had been able to add a couple of interesting events herself through her research in the library and in the County Records Office. It was a beautiful location, too. South Cumbria, close to the English Lake District but still remote enough to be in the middle of quiet, undisturbed countryside.

Clare had enjoyed her time at University, but without getting much sexual experience in her four years at Oxford. A tall, attractive redhead, she had had no shortage of offers, but she had never felt particularly attracted to any of the boys who wanted her. There had been a couple of brief liaisons, but she had only really been doing what she thought she ought to have been doing, going through the motions, and they soon fizzled out, her heart never in it. Alone, after a couple of drinks, she often ended up browsing soft porn websites, looking at the girls. She told herself it was their beauty that drew her, just as beautiful paintings did.

Today was an unexpected chance to see the Hall quiet and empty. Lady Jane had asked Clare to come in on a Monday, a day when traditionally there were no staff on site, not even in the gardens. It was supposed to be a time for the family to relax in what was, after all, their home, but that didn't stop the rumours of wild parties and strange goings-on on those private days. Clare didn't put much store by the tales, knowing that people will always make up a good story if they think the truth is a bit too dull.

Clare lived a couple of miles away from Levening Hall, and on warm summer days like today she often walked to work. The last mile was a public footpath through the fields, then through a door into the formal gardens. She walked through the gardens to the front doors of the old house, and into the main hall. She still loved the beauty of the Hall and it's furnishings, pausing to admire the Adam fireplace and the Gillow staircase as she passed. Lady Jane was waiting for her in the small drawing room.

"Thank you for coming in on a Monday, Clare. I wanted to have a chat with you about some thoughts I've had about attracting some different people to the Hall." Lady Jane had spoken to Clare before about wanting to make some changes, get new and different people to visit. Partly this was to try to boost revenue, but also because she just wanted to change things to make life a bit more interesting, she said. Clare thought that perhaps it was because she was approaching 40, although she still seemed very youthful. She was also very attractive, but Clare tried not to think too much about that, still not too sure about her own sexuality.

"Let's take a walk through the collection. I've had an idea about showing the artworks in a different way, or maybe just a different approach to presenting them."

They walked into the Long Gallery. Lady Jane turned to Clare and said "If we start from here, the earliest works are quite demure, the women in them all covered up. In later works, more of the subject is revealed, either less clothing, or gauzy wisps covering them, and we can arrange the tour so that all the actual nudes are in the final three rooms. That way instead of a progression through different artistic styles, we can show different cultural approaches to their subjects, changing views on modesty, that sort of thing. I was thinking that you could lead the tour, well, a special tour shall we say, with this in mind, and perhaps enter into the spirit of it yourself." Seeing Clare's puzzled expression, she added "Shedding a piece of clothing every time you move to the next room."

Clare could hardly believe what she was hearing. "You mean, do it in my underwear?" Lady Jane smiled. "Yes, in your underwear, for a time. But the final paintings would be nudes, remember."

Clare felt her heart beating faster, shocked, but more than a little excited at the same time. "You want me to be completely naked? Why would you even think I'd be prepared to do that?"

Lady Jane sat down on a particularly fine 19

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Century banquette, and motioned to Clare to sit beside her. "Do you remember that drinks reception we had here a month or so ago? Some of us had a few more glasses of wine afterwards, and you decided to stay the night here, so I put you in the Bowes Lyon suite. You asked if the computer in there was networked, and I told you it was, and to help yourself." Clare felt herself beginning to blush as she realised where this might be going. "Something about the way you asked made me curious, so I looked at the browser history the next day. Certain search terms seemed to feature quite a lot. "

The only one naked

", for example, and "

nude in public

". "

Naked on stage

" was another one as I recall. I'd already had the idea for this special tour, and I had thought I'd have to get someone from an agency to lead it, but then I realised that instead of a stranger having to learn a script, I could use someone who already knows the collection back to front. After all, if you like looking at things like that, wouldn't you enjoy the chance to experience it for yourself? That girl in Barcelona you watched was very brave, wasn't she? Such a long walk through crowded streets completely naked. Is that the sort of thing you fantasize about?"

Clare didn't know what to say. Lady Jane had got it exactly right, being naked in front of strangers was something she fantasized about a great deal. A little while ago, browsing on her computer with a glass of wine, she had wandered into a site which specialized in photos and videos of girls naked in public places, and she was instantly hooked. Looking at these girls walking through crowds of people, or standing in the middle of a busy market, completely naked, she tried to imagine how it must feel to be there, like that, with everyone looking at them. It must feel incredible, she thought, and envied them their confidence as they smiled and waved at the fully-clothed people around them. She would never feel that sensation for herself of course, it wasn't really something that happened in this part of the world. Even when she found a few examples from the UK, some of them in towns not too far away, the idea of actually doing something like that herself seemed impossible, completely outside her own day-to-day life. It would never progress beyond her imagination, a fantasy for masturbation in the privacy of her own home. Or so she had thought.

Still blushing, and not looking directly at Lady Jane, she said "I don't know if I'd have the nerve to do something like that, not for real." Lady Jane replied "I remember when you first came here, so nervous, the thought of leading the art tour scared you so much, but I was able to convince you that you could manage it, and now you're so relaxed and natural when you do it." She smiled at Clare. "I'm sure you'd be just the same without your clothes.

"I've already advertised the tour in fact. I didn't give any specific details about what will happen, but the title is "

The Nude in Art, and Beyond...

", and I've restricted it to adults only, so they may well realise it's something out of the ordinary. They've also been told there's a strict "no photography" rule. It was fully booked after only a couple of days. Why don't you give it a try? I've made no promises of actual nudity, so if you felt you had to keep your underwear on they couldn't really ask for their money back, but I think you'll find you're braver than you think. As it's a Monday, you won't have to worry about any other staff being around, just us. That's if the thought of being naked in front of people you know embarrasses you. Perhaps it doesn't?"

To say Clare had butterflies in her stomach was an understatement. She was excited, and more than a little turned on. Lady Jane now knew what felt like her deepest secret, this was her ultimate fantasy come true, if she was prepared to go along with it. It was such a giant leap, but on the other hand, when would she get another opportunity like this again, a chance to do for real what she had only fantasized about in the past? "I guess I could try, see how it goes. When is this "special tour" booked for, how long do I have to think about it?"

Lady Jane smiled. "I thought it best not to give you too long, we don't want you getting all nervous and worked up thinking about it. It's this afternoon, 4:00pm." She took Clare's arm and led her into the Long Gallery. "Let's walk through the collection, I've got a couple of things in mind to suggest, but really it will all be down to you and how you feel."

Later that day, as Clare sat in the Main Hall while the visitors were arriving, she felt strangely calm. She had had time to plan out what she was going to say, not really that different from her usual talk as she led tours round the collection, a little bit more than normal about the nude and its significance in the history of art, but she had read a great deal on that anyway. Nudes had fascinated her ever since a school trip to Manchester Art Gallery, imagining the scene in the studio, the model posing that way, while a stranger looks so carefully at every detail of her body. She wondered how the visitors would look at her later on.

There was a good mix of guests, a few more women than men, as there usually were. Clare was glad that the advertising, whatever it was, had not led to a mostly male group. That would have made the event seem cheaper. However tonight ended up being described, it was still about the art, as well as her... should she call it a show? She liked the word. She would be showing herself, as well as the art.

Lady Jane had taken a risk by not telling Clare what was happening until the day itself, but she had faith in Clare's taste in clothes and thought she would arrive this morning wearing something that would work for this event. As it turned out, the new Ted Baker jacket and trousers she had worn for the first time was perfect, both formal and stylish, and Clare had seemed happy about her underwear. The two of them had walked through the collection earlier, Clare amazed at how calmly she'd been able to talk about undressing in such a public setting, wondering if this could even be some sort of joke being played on her. Could she really go through with this, her great fantasy?

As the long case clock began to chime in the hall, Lady Jane rang a small bell. "Thank you for coming to my house this afternoon, I always take great pleasure in showing off everything that we have here." Clare looked at her, but she made no attempt to catch Clare's eye. Was her choice of words deliberate?

"Tonight's tour is a departure from our usual approach. I wanted to find a new way to explore the tradition of the nude in art, and Clare Purvis is very well qualified to show you everything." That was definitely deliberate.

The butterflies started up again in Clare's stomach as she led the group into the Long Gallery to start the tour. "The collection here at Levening Hall is famous both nationally and internationally, in this room you can see some of the earliest works in the collection..." she began, more or less on autopilot for this introduction that she had given so many times before. While she spoke, she thought about what was to come soon, still not sure she'd have the nerve to see it through. As much as anything, she wanted to please Lady Jane. In fact, she realized with a shock, the thought of undressing in front of her was exciting in itself.

Coming to the end of the Long Gallery, she stopped and turned to the visitors. "As we move into the later middle ages, we start to see figures who are a little less... covered up." In the walk-through earlier, Clare thought that she would take her jacket off at this point, but Lady Jane had had another idea. Before she moved into the next room, Clare bent down and removed her shoes, carefully putting them to one side. While taking her jacket off would have given a strong hint as to what was to come, removing her shoes was a more subtle act, but in combination with the adults-only tickets and the event's title, was still enough to get the visitors wondering. There was definite interest being shown, and one of the women was smiling broadly at her. Thinking about them, thinking about her, gave Clare a thrill of excitement.

Moving into the next room, she began again, the words coming easily as they had so many times before. Eventually, stopping by a bare-shouldered figure, Clare slipped her jacket off, putting it on a hanger on a coat stand they had placed there earlier. The visitors now had a pretty good idea of what was going on, and nobody seemed upset, or wanting to leave. In fact everybody looked quite happy!

They moved into the next room, and Clare explained some of the new techniques that were being introduced in painting at this time. "You can also see a more relaxed approach to the female subjects, not nearly as buttoned-up as earlier." As she walked through the room, she unfastened the belt of her trousers, then unzipped them at the side, letting them fall to the ground. She stepped forward, leaving them behind, her Simone Rocha blouse long enough to cover her knickers. This was the most overt move yet, there could now be no doubt amongst her audience (as she now thought of them) as to what she was doing. Clare felt nervous, but excited at the same time, tingling all over. She still wasn't sure if she could carry this performance all the way through.

They were in the East Wing now, with one of the collection's prizes, a Florentine School painting of a nymph in a forest. Standing beside the picture, Clare pointed to the flimsy pieces of gauzy material obscuring the figure's breasts and elsewhere. "Where in the forest could these pieces of material have escaped from, just happening to blow across her body like that? Flimsy pieces of gauze, almost see-through, barely covering those parts of her that, apparently, need to be covered." She began to unbutton her blouse, while she continued to describe the scene, aware that no one was looking at the painting now. She left the blouse open until she had finished, then slipped it off her shoulders and let it fall, standing in front of the visitors in her underwear. Her D cup balconette bra was lacy enough to give just a hint of her nipples, with her matching knickers also suggesting rather than showing the carefully-trimmed bush beneath them. This was as far as she had been able to imagine herself taking the "show". Soon she would find out just how brave she really was. The thought of taking it further terrified her, but also thrilled her beyond words. She looked at Lady Jane, standing at the back of the crowd, smiling at her, then turned and led the group into the Blue Room.

After talking about the first two paintings in the room, similar to the Florentine nymph next door, Clare stood in front of the collection's most valuable piece, a Titian called the Allegory of Love, featuring a woman seated on a marble plinth, her robe fallen aside, a wisp of cloth in her lap. Looking at it earlier, Lady Jane had commented on how similar the woman's face was to Clare, as well as her hair colour. "I think she's probably the same cup size as well", she had said, making Clare blush at the thought that her employer had paid enough attention to her to notice that. The woman in the painting had a fuller figure than Clare's slim build, but there were definite similiarities. "Given the culture of his time, Titian had the freedom to depict his subjects more freely. Not so many bits of random material flying across their bodies!" Some of the visitors laughed, then stopped as Clare reached behind her back. Could she really do this? She hadn't been able to imagine going so far, but it was starting to feel as if she might actually do it. She looked at Lady Jane, standing at the back of the group, nodding her encouragement. As she spoke, hoping that no one noticed the catch in her voice, Clare unclipped her bra, slipped the straps off her shoulders and let it fall, as if that were the most normal thing in the world. She was alive to every sensation, feeling her breasts fall slightly without their support, their slight sway as she moved. Standing in front of the painting, naked apart from her knickers, she told them more about Titian, and about the painting, while this group of strangers looked, or even stared, at her breasts. She had never known such excitement, her senses strangely heightened, feeling every current of air across her skin, particularly her nipples, which had stiffened slightly.

Walking into the next room, Clare stood by another topless figure from Greek myth while she enlightened the visitors about it's significance, before asking them to turn around to look at the painting on the wall behind them. This was a more modern piece by Adrien Thevenot depicting a woman standing in a room very like the one they were in, the first true nude they had reached, with no stray slips of fabric to hide her dark bush. Standing behind the visitors now, Clare took a deep breath and slipped her knickers off. Walking around the crowd, she stood facing the painting. "This piece caused quite a stir at the time, it was commissioned by the 12

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Earl and the model for the painting was in service at the Hall, in fact she was the lady's maid to the current Lady Cavenough's great great grandmother. It must have been quite a shock to the family," Clare took a deep breath and turned to face the visitors, "being presented with one of their servants, completely naked".

Clare could hardly breathe, her whole body felt electric as she stood totally naked in front of the visitors, and having Lady Jane looking at her so approvingly was the icing on the cake. One woman started to clap, then stopped in confusion when no one else joined in. Clare took a step sideways, just to see everyone's eyes follow her, then walked to the next painting, continuing her discussion, amazing herself by how casually she could continue while feeling so alive, so sensitized, so... turned on!

The walk and discussion through the final two rooms seemed to take forever, yet at the same time it felt over too soon. At the finish, Clare thanked them all for their attention. That was when the applause began, thunderous and longer than usual. For some reason, after everything else, this was what made her blush as she directed the visitors to the small gift shop, then turned to Lady Jane. "Do you think that went off well?" Her boss clapped her hands together. "I knew you could do it. Well done!" Taking Clare's hand, she led her back to the Main Hall. "I think you should look at this". She picked up a remote and pointed it to the large screen in the corner, which usually showed the time of the next tour amongst other things. As it lit up, Clare gasped when she saw herself standing in front of the Titian in her underwear. There was no sound as she watched herself remove her bra. It was strange to see herself walking to the next picture, topless.

"I put a few cameras in place earlier, just so that we could look over, well... everything. I thought I might have a few suggestions, in case you wanted to do it again any time, but I didn't spot anything that I would want you to change". The video ran on, until Clare saw herself standing naked in front of the Thevenot. "I can't believe I look so relaxed, so natural. I was really nervous then."