I have decided to carry out my Personal Investigation researching into the work of both artists, Alphonse Mucha and Gabriel Moreno. It is said that Mucha was and still continues to be one of the most important artists prior to World War I which has therefore influenced me to research further into his work as an artist. What I admire most about this particular artist is in my opinion Mucha chose this specific style to show that during the 19Th Century, traditionally women of the higher classes tended to conform of very formal dress codes which consisted of corsets, bonnets, top hats, bustles and petticoats. Women’s fashion during the Victorian period was largely dominated by full skirts, which gradually moved to the back of the silhouette. Whereas mucha tries to illustrate women as a whole as women of nature- natural and free, dressed in vaguely Grecian gowns, often in forests, and always surrounded by or even wearing flowers. They weren't just in nature; they were a part of it. They were desired, mysterious, lovely, and often associated with the ancient and the magical. Old legends, epics, and fairy tales repeatedly give the same message: Watch out for those older women of magic and nature, all swathed in cloaks and mystery. More often than not, these women are depicted as bitter and cruel, no longer desired by men, and jealous of a young, innocent, beautiful girl whom she tortures, banishes, and afflicts with all kinds of nasty enchantments, poisons, and potions. Indeed, the girl she hates may well be a younger version of herself: the beautiful woman of nature so idealised in art. This younger woman whom she persecutes is, in essence, her replacement. No matter how entrapped she is, her sweetness and her rapport with nature brin... ... middle of paper ... ...t she is underwater again portraying the look of flowing edges to emphasis the elegance of women. When watching this advert for the first time I was quite surprised to how the portrayal of women differed to adverts previously publicising new brands for example, adverts publicising perfume for women often portray women as being very seductive and wearing very little clothing as possible to sell the image rather than the product whereas Bailey’s have introduced a new image for women as ‘tranquillity’ opposed to a sex object. They have achieved this by designing women in a more ‘natural’ fashion meaning even though consisting of nudity it emphasises a sense serenity and self-admiration. By illustrating this more natural and bare look still manages to achieve a seductive image yet preventing an erotic perception of women instead more graceful and elegant, almost chic.
When noticing a person who wears a similar clothes everyday, one may wonder what their intentions behind their attire is. In Isabel Allende’s story “Simple Marie” featured in The Stories of Eva Luna, the clothes are taken in a figurative sense just as much as in a literal function. Just as clothes are made to cover up one's physical body, clothes can be interpreted as a covering of one’s soul and true identity. Although, not very evident on the surface of the story, one can discover the intentions of Maria, by correlating the situation to her attire. The symbolism that Allende creates within the clothing of Maria illustrates a deeper sense to her vulnerability and reasoning within the situations of her life.
There, the inmates attended an art class, and created these red plastic flowers, found in Poblet’s art-piece, out of recycled materials. It is known that one is very limited supplies in prison, so Poblet was moved by just how creative the women there were. The inmates were affected in Simplemente Bellas, as Poblet found inspiration in these women. They were her motif in Simplemente Bellas, because they showed such creativity. This is what makes her work so much more appealing to the eye. Simplemente Bellas caught my interest over all the other art pieces throughout the museum. Poblet was moved by the hard-work these women put into producing those red plastic flowers. Poblet uses symbolism here, as the female inmates represent the many flowers in Poblet’s work, while the flowers symbolize beauty, as well as identity and freedom. This was the theme, or idea, that she was trying to portray to her viewers. The face of the women in the art-piece is said to depict one of the inmates Poblet had met during her visit. This gave me a better understanding about Mabel Poblet as a person as well as an artist. She saw those women as more than just captive inmates. If someone can see beyond another’s flaws and mistakes, they must be a very kind-hearted person. It is considered a baroque, as it is an art piece that appeals to our emotions. Understanding the muse behind Simplemente Bellas, has led me to love this work of art even more. It also caused me to be interested to learn more about Mabel Poblet Pujols as an
One of the aspects of the Middle Ages which is explored by numerous scholars today is that of the antifeminist stereotypes which pervaded literature and cultural mores during the period. In an era governed by men, the fact that women were treated as inferior is unsurprising; archetypal visions of femininity fit neatly into medieval history. However, most people would like to believe that such pigeonholing has been left in the past, allowing for more liberated times in which women are portrayed realistically and as the equals of men.
Often times in literature the body becomes a symbolic part of the story. The body may come to define the character, emphasize a certain motif of the story, or symbolize the author’s or society’s mindset. The representation of the body becomes significant for the story. In the representation of their body in the works of Marie de France’s lais “Lanval” and “Yonec,” the body is represented in opposing views. In “Lanval,” France clearly emphasizes the pure beauty of the body and the power the ideal beauty holds, which Lanval’s Fairy Queen portrays. In France’s “Yonec,” she diverts the reader’s attention from the image of the ideal body and emphasizes a body without a specific form and fluidity between the forms. “Yonec” focuses on a love not based on the body. Although the representations of the body contradict one another, France uses both representation to emphasize the private and, in a way, unearthly nature of love that cannot be contained by the human world. In both lais, the love shared between the protagonists is something that is required to be kept in private and goes beyond a single world into another world.
Even the broadness of traditional Spanish culture could not remain untouched by the divide of gender roles. Though de Erauso was a Basque born in Spain, putting her at the top of the hierarchy, the fact that she was a woman lowered her societal ranking (Lecture 2/4/2014). The first step in de Erauso’s transformation from woman to man involved stepping over the divide in cultural roles and changing her clothing from one style to another. As a woman, she wore a bodice and petticoat, but in order to disguise herself as a man, she cut these items into a pair of breeches, a doublet and hose (Erauso, 4). This shows that her transformation involved not only a psychological change, but a physical costume as well. Another large part of Spanish culture that impacted de Erauso on both ends was the tradition of marriage. As de Erauso dodged potential marriages throughout her journey, the weight of matrimony became clear. Young women wanted to marry a successful, capable man because the title of wife entailed a step up in the societal hierarchy. In one potential marriag...
The ladies dresses of the early Middle Ages were influenced by the classical styles of the Greek and Roman women. Their dresses were tight to display the elegance of their figure. Dresses were embroidered and luxuriously decorated. Some dresses consisted of two tunics and of a veil or drapery. The veil was thrown...
...e can, however, signal her virginal status by dressing in a way that represents its equivalent: as a southern belle. In addition to her low-cut blue dress, with its feminine, puffed sleeves, Arvay wears a floppy-brimmed “leghorn-intention” (straw hat), decorated with a “big pink rose” (suggestive of reproduction). Most tellingly, we are told that she is wearing a corset that is “laced very tight” – so tight that she cannot eat her dinner. Corsets hold in the flesh and nip in the waistline to an attractively small diameter. By narrowing the waist, they emphasize the swellings of the hips and breasts, a contrast intended to stimulate sexual arousal. Thus Arvay’s wedding/reception attire emphasizes her fragility and innocence while highlighting her desirability. The clothing signs her as an object for consumption, rather than celebrates her as a beautiful companion.
There are several aspects to the layout of this advertisement. Women, regardless of age, tend to be drawn to the use of beautiful, younger women in an arrangement, which makes this design effective. Firstly, Taylor Swift (the young woman in the picture) has been properly dressed so that the lip-gloss she is using matc...
Working at her father’s clothing shop, she became very knowledgeable about expensive textiles and embellishments, which were captured in her works later in career. She was able to capture the beauty and lavishness of fabrics in portraits of aristocratic women.
Throughout his life, Stephen is consumed by conflicting desires, the strongest of which being his sexual desire towards women versus religious morality. Confused and ashamed by these “sinful” thoughts, Stephen comes to view women in one of two extremes: they are either pure, virginal, and decent, like Emma, or impure, sexual, and corrupt, such as the prostitutes he visits in Belvedere. However, it is Stephen’s individual experiences with women from both ends of this spectrum that become the motivating factor behind both his art and personal growth as an artist.
When you see an advertisement that has a picture of nature the usual response is, “Oh, that’s pretty”, and then you go on with your day. People don’t take time out of their days anymore to stop and “smell the roses”. Advertisers are aware of this so they add creative flare to mesmerize their audience. The background for this ad is the main event and is designed to catch the reader’s eye causing them to first think and second to donate to the cause or “product”. The picture they use is a waterfall set in the forest, presented as if you were looking through an open patch in the trees surrounding it. The water is cascading down many big rocks, leaving spaces of untouched rock, creating the pareidolia face image on the left. Starting from the top four rocks resembling the eyebrows and the eyes, and then down to the bottom three rocks resembling the nose and lips. In my opinion, the face has feminine characteristics to it; ...
Social factors have always encouraged the idea that men embody masculinity and women embody femininity and, thus, certain gender-norms are expected accordingly. In the past, such expectations were traditional and to go against them was frowned upon by the general public. Contemporarily speaking, there is more freedom to avail oneself of today than there was once upon a time. Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont’s fairytale adaptation of ‘Beauty and The Beast’ was published in 1740. During this time, men and women were compelled by the social conventions associated with their gender. When analyzing the literary work, the reader can grasp what gender roles are eminent in the characters identity and motives. By exploring the choice of language being
Stent, S., 2011, ‘Fetishizing the Feminine: the Surreal Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli’, Nottingham French Studies, September, 50, 78-87.
Evaluate and respond to the presentations of women in the Romantic period. Feel free to discuss presentations of women, by women (such as Austen’s Persuasion) as well as presentations of women by men (such as the “she” in Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty”). Consider the following questions: are these presentations problematic? What do they tell us about the values and briefs of the Romantic Period? Do any of these presentations subvert (complicate, or call into questions) the time’s notions of femininity?
The advert is for a new product called ‘WOMAN’ that they are adding to their line of fragrances. The first thing that is noticed about this advert is the colour. It is very contrasting with the black and white, and gives a big impact to the audience. The white usually signifies innocence but with the black background it’s suggesting hidden depths, like a wild side that you could have. The model’s look is very confident, like she can get