She Knows (Censored)

Looking through classical paintings of female nudes, one will find that most figures avert their eyes to avoid eye contact with the audience. This allows for the viewer to gaze upon the subject's body unchallenged for personal pleasure. Part of the reason Édouard Manet's "Olympia" was so controversial was because the woman depicted looked the viewer dead in the eyes, displaying complete awareness that she was being watched. Along the same vein, the woman depicted in this painting is fully aware that she is being looked upon. She is looking you in the face, daring you, despite her nudity, to view her as a sex object.