How are women seen by others in society, and how art has reflected this over the years?
Towards the end of the term, I decided on a theme of which I wanted to explore further. One particular general theme that I was interested in was ‘women’. I wanted to look at how they are portrayed in life today, and perhaps compare it to how they were seen in the past.
I began my research by looking around different art galleries for inspiration; the first one being the Wallace Collection. This museum is well known for art from the 15th-19th Century, meaning that it would help to give me an idea as to how women were depicted during these times. The first painting which interested me most was an oil painting called “The Swing”, created in 1766 by an artist called Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Fragonard’s work is often said to convey “an atmosphere of intimacy and veiled eroticism[1]”, which suggested that there must be a deeper meaning to this painting that I did not fully understand when I first looked at it. At first glance, this painting appeared to be of a woman casually swinging within a woodland area. She appears to look extremely innocent, almost heavenly, and this is emphasized by the white light that is shining down directly upon her. Another aspect of the painting which makes the whole atmosphere seems to be extremely innocent and child-like are the statues of young angels that are positioned in various places. As I began to look deeper at the painting, and finding out about the themes that run through Froganard’s work, I began to see things that I would not have noticed before. For example, the woman who is swinging is in fact not wearing any underwear, and it is not until I study the painting for longer that I notice there is a man sat within the bushes, who is looking directly under her dress. I was not sure whether this woman was aware of the fact that he was there. If she was not aware, then it shows that women were in fact quite modest about their sexuality, especially by the full bodied dress she is wearing, and the hat to disguise parts of her face. However, it was not until I researched the painting later, when my entire opinion on how women used to act during these times changed. The woman was fully aware of the young man positioned beneath her (I later noticed that she was directly staring at him). I also found out that the shoe she had casually flicked off her foot was “a symbol of the loss of virginity[2]”, and the man pushing her on the swing was in fact a bishop, thought to be in a relationship with her. It seems to be that instead of women appearing to be quite innocent and not flaunting their sexuality, it is quite the opposite. The men are exploiting her, and she appears to be enjoying the attention.
Towards the end of the term, I decided on a theme of which I wanted to explore further. One particular general theme that I was interested in was ‘women’. I wanted to look at how they are portrayed in life today, and perhaps compare it to how they were seen in the past.
I began my research by looking around different art galleries for inspiration; the first one being the Wallace Collection. This museum is well known for art from the 15th-19th Century, meaning that it would help to give me an idea as to how women were depicted during these times. The first painting which interested me most was an oil painting called “The Swing”, created in 1766 by an artist called Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Fragonard’s work is often said to convey “an atmosphere of intimacy and veiled eroticism[1]”, which suggested that there must be a deeper meaning to this painting that I did not fully understand when I first looked at it. At first glance, this painting appeared to be of a woman casually swinging within a woodland area. She appears to look extremely innocent, almost heavenly, and this is emphasized by the white light that is shining down directly upon her. Another aspect of the painting which makes the whole atmosphere seems to be extremely innocent and child-like are the statues of young angels that are positioned in various places. As I began to look deeper at the painting, and finding out about the themes that run through Froganard’s work, I began to see things that I would not have noticed before. For example, the woman who is swinging is in fact not wearing any underwear, and it is not until I study the painting for longer that I notice there is a man sat within the bushes, who is looking directly under her dress. I was not sure whether this woman was aware of the fact that he was there. If she was not aware, then it shows that women were in fact quite modest about their sexuality, especially by the full bodied dress she is wearing, and the hat to disguise parts of her face. However, it was not until I researched the painting later, when my entire opinion on how women used to act during these times changed. The woman was fully aware of the young man positioned beneath her (I later noticed that she was directly staring at him). I also found out that the shoe she had casually flicked off her foot was “a symbol of the loss of virginity[2]”, and the man pushing her on the swing was in fact a bishop, thought to be in a relationship with her. It seems to be that instead of women appearing to be quite innocent and not flaunting their sexuality, it is quite the opposite. The men are exploiting her, and she appears to be enjoying the attention.
I later spotted that one of the statues of the angels is in fact slightly older then the two in the lower right corner. This angel looks to be around 12 years old, and is looking in the direction of the young man hidden in the bushes. This angel also appears to be holding a finger to his mouth, normally a sign used today to tell someone to be quiet. I was unable to find out whether this was deliberate or not, yet I feel that perhaps the angel is telling the woman that although she is allowing this man to peer through her dress, he is willing to keep it a secret, perhaps from her partner who is pushing her behind.
In conclusion, I feel that this particular painting suggests that although women used to wear extremely long and full dresses and partake in activities normally associated with the young (e.g swinging), there are in fact ulterior motives. This woman appears to be having some sort of affair, making my conceptions of women within this era to be quite provocative. However, this is just one painting in that I have looked at from this era, and I need to research this time period fully to see if this is actually true.
I then decided to research art from around the 1800s on the internet, to try and find out more about how women were depicted. This is where I came across Édouard Manet’s painting titled ‘Olympia’, created in 1863. It is an oil painting on canvas, created in the realism style, and many comparisons can be made with Titian’s painting, ‘Venus of Urbino’.
(Above: Manet’s painting titled ‘Olympia’)
(Above: Titian’s painting titled ‘Venus of Urbino’)Manet’s painting is said to have “caused such an uproar that authorities were forced to put two armed guards at the painting to protect it[3]”. But why? When I first looked at this painting, although the woman is nude, I did not see anything else about it that would cause such controversy. I decided to therefore do some more research to find out why, and was quite surprised with what I had found out. The lady in this painting was in fact a courtesan, and it was these women that were “at the top of the prostitutional hierarchy[4]”. During this time period, the public were outraged that this ‘prostitute’ had been “given a face[5]”, let alone the fact that she has direct eye contact with the viewer. She is not intimidated by the audience, and appears to be in complete control of her body. This is not something that people of this period wanted to see, as her body in this painting is that of a commodity.
The harsh contrast between the dark background and her pale skin tone draws a large amount of attention to figure of the painting. Her pale skin also appears to blend in with the bed sheets, again highlighting what her ‘profession’ is. Other aspects of the painting include “the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, pearl earrings and the oriental shawl on which she lies[6]”, which are all symbols of wealth and sensuality. People of this time did not want to be reminded of the shadier side of life, and men, although they were fully aware that they were using women like this, did not want to be confronted with it in an art gallery.
After looking at this painting, it reminded me of the film ‘Moulin Rouge’, set in 1899 (only 36 years after this painting was created). The lead character of this film is also a courtesan, working in a night club where men would go at the end of the day to be entertained by dancers. In a review about the film, this particular area was known as the “city's drug and prostitute infested underworld[7]”. I was unsure as to what they meant by ‘underworld’, and so decided to look it up in the dictionary so that I have a clearer understanding.
underworld n 1. criminals and their associates,
2. (Greek and Roman myth) the regions below the earth’s surface regarded as the abode of the dead
This suggests that this night club where the courtesans would go to perform was seen as being the ‘seedier’ part of the city, and was highly frowned upon in society. It is not something that they would advertise, even though people were well aware it exists. The fact that there is also a business where these women are forced to perform suggests that women in these days were definitely forced to fulfill the needs of the males, whether they wanted to or not.
‘The Moulin Rouge’, the night club of which this film is set, is struggling with money. However, “the club's owner, Harold Zidler, invests in a wealthy Duke to help pay for the club, however, the duke will only pay if Satine is his[8]”. Satine is the name of the lead character, and is also the city’s most famous courtesan. The way she gets ‘sold’ to the Duke suggests that women have no say to who they wish to be with, and are simply seen as an object that can be ‘purchased’ by anyone. Her opinion is not listened to, showing that men in this time had a complete lack of respect for women. Satine also falls in love with a book writer from England, and is forced to have a secret affair with him in case the Duke finds out. Within the film, there is also a scene where the Duke rapes Satine, after he becomes aware of the affair she is having. This is a devastating scene, and shows the complete lack of control that women had during these times. The way the Duke feels he needs to punish Satine also suggests that he feels as if he is superior to her, and is responsible for punishing her.
This paintings and the film that I watched helps to support my views about how women were depicted in the past. ‘The Swing’ shows how women should have been painted; fully clothed, and tending to the males needs. When ‘Olympia’ was put on display, the pubic were shocked and outraged at the fact that this woman was completely naked (I have chosen to no longer describe her as being ‘nude’) and enticing the viewer. Her hand is firmly clamped over her genital area, showing that she is fully in control of how men are allowed to view her. She is also seen rejecting the flowers her black slave is offering her, showing that she will not succumb his ‘charm’. Women were not meant to be seen like this, showing that perhaps women during this period were expected to be passive figures in society.
After finding out quite a lot of information about women in later times, I decided to try and compare it to how they act in society nowadays. To do this, I looked at the exhibition of Diane Arbus, who recently had an exhibition on at the Timothy Taylor gallery. Arbus is an American photographer, and had a total of sixty photographs on display at this gallery when I visited.
“Arbus’s subject matter is people; adolescent couples, young children, sophisticated socialites, circus performers, nudists, eccentrics and transvestites[9]”
This is what I feel makes her photographs so interesting and diverse. She also takes photographs of still life objects, making her artwork a true depiction of real life.
The photograph that I decided to look at was ‘Teenage Couple on Hudson Street, NYC’, 1963. It is a photograph of a couple, and I decided to look at this particular photograph to explore my theme of women and how they are viewed in society. In this case, I was looking at how she was with her boyfriend. As Arbus’ photographs are normally captured in the moment, it gives a true insight into how they really are. In this photograph, the girl appears to be quite comfortable in her boyfriend’s presence. He has a protective arm around her and they are both comfortable with making physical contact with each other. The clothes that the girl is wearing suggest that she doesn’t need to use her body to attract the attention of the opposite sex, unlike the lady in the ‘The Swing’. This could be because she is still quite young, and has not yet become aware of her body. However, the year that this photograph was taken in (1963) was a time where people would often be free and individual; not afraid to do what they want to do. If this woman wanted to use her body to attract his attention, I am sure she would have.
There is a clear difference to how women in the 1800s used their body to attract attention, which shows that it has changed vastly over the years. Around the 18th Century, women’s bodies would merely be seen as an object by their partners, and it was clear that the men had no respect for them. Although the women featured in ‘Olympia’ tried to have control over what people see her for, her profession was still a mistress. In this photograph, the man seems to respect her for who she is as a person.
I have now looked at the 18th Century and the 1960s, yet I have decided that I want to compare them both to the present day that we live in; the 21st Century. In my opinion, I believe that younger girls are becoming a lot older more quickly nowadays, both physically and also the way that they choose to behave. They appear to be wearing much more make-up, in a bid to attract the opposite sex. Instead of what it was like in the 1960s,girls appear to be flaunting their sexualities more, as they become more aware of their bodies and under manipulation from the media.
I decided to visit the Portrait Gallery, in the hope to find detailed paintings of how girls in the 21st Century look. The BP Portrait Award 2009 was currently on display, which is where I came across a striking painting y an artist called Natalie Holland. It was titled ‘Agnes’, and featured a 10 year old girl sitting in a red hooded jumper in front of a blue background. The use of colours here immediately caught my attention, and it is as if it is what this girl intended. She is holding her blonde her close to her chest and looking directly at the viewer. I found out that Holland wanted “to capture the contrast between the girl’s appearance... and her mischievous and feisty personality[10]”. Yet at first, you do not assume that the girl has a “feisty personality”; probably just slightly mischievous, what with the smirk on her face.
This painting was created in 2009, which gives a clear representation of how girls look today. She is wearing a casual hooded top with minimal make-up, something that I would not have expected of girls from this time. I personally feel that girls nowadays are looking physically older, experimenting with different forms of make-up to attract attention.
However, although this girl appears look extremely young and innocent, she seems to know how to use her body to manipulate people into thinking she is something which she is in fact not. For example, the way she is holding her hair closely to her chest suggests at first that she is being quite playful and young, yet if you look closely at the way she is holding it, it appears to become quite seductive. It draws the viewers’ attention down to her chest, which in itself is an area which men find quite enticing. However, there is clear tension in her hands, showing that she is in full control of what she is allowing her audience to see. The firm eye contact with the viewer also gives her the power in the situation. This is extremely similar to how the woman in ‘Olympia’ is seen. Conversely, even though these could suggest she is being quite seductive, I feel that she is still too young, and is not fully aware of what she is doing. This could therefore be a hint to what could come in the future.
In conclusion, I feel that men are probably going to be attracted to a woman because of her body, whether these thoughts are conscious or not. In the past, they had control over the women, and it was just an accepted part of life. Although women tried to gain control over how men would look at them, it was extremely hard during these times. The woman in ‘Olympia’ tried to gain control, yet at the end of the day, she was still a courtesan. It isn’t until recently that the majority of women have begun to gain more respect and power. The woman in Arbus’ photo is respected as a person, yet his arm around her still suggests that he ‘owns’ her, and that she is his property in a way. The girl featured in the painting ‘Arbus’ is the strongest character out of all the women I have looked at. She is featured in the painting alone, as an independent woman of the 21st Century. She is in control of how men view her, and it appears that she no longer needs to use her body as a way for attracting this attention. This could however change as she gets older.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Collins Dictionary; 9th Revised edition. England. 2007. Accessed 21st October 2009.
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Mtholyoke. 2008. [ Accessed 16th October 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/courtesans/defining-the-courtesan.htm >
Mtholyoke. 2008. [ Accessed 16th October 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/courtesans/Manet-olympia.htm >
Moulin Rouge. Baz Luhrmann. Film. 2001. Viewed 21st October 2009.
National Portrait Gallery. 2009. [ Accessed 28th September 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www.npg.org.uk/bp-portrait-award-20091/the-exhibition/exhibitors4/bp-exhibitor-27.php >
Timothy Taylor Gallery. 2009. [ Accessed 29th September 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://www.timothytaylorgallery.com/exhibitions/diane-arbus/ >
The Wallace Collection, London. Visited 16th August 2009.
The Timothy Taylor Gallery, London. Exhibition of Diane Arbus. Visited 26th June 2009.
The National Portrait Gallery, London. BP Portrait Award. Visited 18th August 2009.
Wikipedia. 2009. [online]. [Accessed 27th September 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Honor%C3%A9_Fragonard >
Wikipedia. 2009. [online]. [Accessed 27th September 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swing_(painting) >
Wikipedia. 2009. [online]. [Accessed 4th October 2009]. Available from World Wide Web: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia_(Manet) >
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