Compare & Contrast Two Paintings;

Giorgione - The Sleeping Venus 1510 

&

 Manet - Olympia 1863

Both of the paintings show the natural beauty of the female form. The females look quite glamorous and seductive for these periods of time. This is evident in their facial expression and pose. The look of the materials seem quite expensive and the colours are quite rich.
The background of both images seem either quite dark or dull. This highlights the females figure, making the women stand out more and be the main focus point of these images.
In both of these paintings the females are both baring their breasts proudly, but they cover their modesty with a hand. This may emphasize thier independence, sexual dominance and feminine status as an object of desire.

With Giorgione's image, the lady being sprawled across what looks like a hill top, emphasizes this idea of admiring this sense of nudity and the beauty of a woman. Whereas in Manet's image, this looks more like a lady in perhaps her boudoir. She may be a prostitute judging by the black ribbon around her neck and the orchid in her hair, alongside her confrontational, erotic gaze.
This idea of prostitution from the gaze, could be from her maybe gazing towards a door, or perhaps directly at the audience, confronting and insinuating underlying prostitution in society. At this period of time, for a woman to be undressed in the presence of her maid was sexually suggestive, along with the element of having a black cat. This represented an immoral act of prostitution.
The nude woman in this painting also looks quite bored, which maybe due to the idea of another gift, presented by her maid. A gift perhaps from an admirer or lover.
This painting sparked negative reviews from critics. Manet painted 'Olympia' according to his point of view, "that an artist has got to move with the times and paint what he sees". Unfortunately the public did not agree with his ahead of the times philosophy. At this time, it was morally wrong to bring it out into the open, because it was such a shameful practice. - Not only due to this dark theme, but even due to the fact that the woman dares to stare. This was also unacceptable.

In Giorgione's painting however, the lady is alone and has her eyes closed. She looks as if she is peacefully asleep or quietly dreaming. The green landscape in which she lays within, could be a field, with in regards to the title, 'Sleeping Venus', she could be a sleeping Goddess, which may explain why she is laying on such fine, rich material. This landscape could be a reference to the Garden of Eden.
The way in which one of her arms is draped and stretched behind her head, creates a long, continuous slope of the body, whose curves echo the hills of the landscape behind.
This idea of sleeping may imply dreaming and a transport of the figure to another world.
This painting exploited a new style evolved in Venice through sensual subject matter.