The tradition of naked statues dates back to ancient humankind, with nudity in art carrying diverse meanings from innocence to triumph. Ancient Greek culture, beginning in the sixth century B.C.E., heavily featured the nude male form, portraying gods, athletes, and heroes as symbols of beauty and excellence, exemplified by Polykleitos' "Spear Bearer." This ideal of "heroic nudity" was revived during the Renaissance and Neoclassicism, influencing artists like Michelangelo and even figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, who sought to be depicted as Mars. Female nudity has a separate, complex history, with early Paleolithic figurines and Mesopotamian depictions differing from the Greek tradition, where female nudity became prominent later, notably with Praxiteles' "Aphrodite of Knidos." Modern artists continue this tradition or challenge it, with some creating clothed figures like Thomas J. Price's "Grounded in the Stars."