Friday, February 19, 2010

Zucchi's portrayal of Bathsheba


Gentileschi's portrayal of Susanna and the Elders


Ruben's portrayal of the judgment of Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena by Paris

Van Balen's portrayal of Potiphar's wife and Joseph

Orpen's The English Nude


Rembrandt's portrayal of Bathsheba

Vecellio's portrayal of Adam and Eve


Beside the fact that they're all nude, do you notice anything in particular about these paintings? These portrayals of the human body, particularly the female body?

"She represents love, beauty, purity, the ideal female and the moon...and she's the mystère of jealousy, vengeance and discord, AND, on the other hand, of love, perpetual help, goodwill, health, beauty and fortune." (Zadie Smith, On Beauty)
"...this is what a woman is: unadorned, after children and work and age, and experience--these are the marks of living." (Zadie Smith, On Beauty)

1 comment:

Marie said...

Interesting that these bodies would be considered ugly nowadays, but back then, that was real beauty. I am actually skinnier than those women, yet I am still considered "too fat" by today's standards. What a sad world we live in.