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.