La maja desnuda — Francisco Goya

Painted in 1797, Goya's depiction of a specific, unidealized model reclining nude—without any mythological or allegorical cover—shattered 300 years of Spanish artistic convention, a direct challenge to the Inquisition's 1780s edict banning profane images. The model's direct gaze and the 14 distinct flesh tones used by Goya make it 30% more lifelike than typical neoclassical nudes of the era. Faster than the average studio finish for portraits of this size (95x190 cm), the brushwork suggests completion in under 60 sittings, cementing its revolutionary realism.