Madonna vs. Eve A portrait of the Renaissance Woman

Madonna vs. Eve A portrait of the Renaissance Woman

The role of women has been portrayed through art since prehistoric times. Women have been a sign of hope, downfall, and power. This image of women was most powerful during the Renaissance. A cultural revival or "rebirth" occurred during the 15th and 16th century in Europe. The economic growth of the 14th century created a prosperous middle class. This allowed more of the mass to invest their income. Patronage of the arts soon became very fashionable as did religious faith1. As a result, women were portrayed as the Madonna, Eve or a saint. This was much more than an the art genre but an actual notion of women's role in society. This inaccurate portrayal of women created a variety of strong reactions from the true women of the renaissance.

A major movement occurred that was related to Eve and the heroics of virginity. With the genre of realistic painting the image of Eve became threatening and a serious warning to those who dared to challenge God. Jan Van Eyck painted the perfect example of such a threat in the portrait of Eve in the Ghent Altar Piece.Ashamed, naked, and fully pregnant Eve stands distraught. In addition to the interpreted words of the saints, this was a leading cause of suicides among women in the 15th century. These sacrifices were justified by St. Jerome who said, "It is not man's prerogative to lay violent hands upon himself, but rather to freely receive death from others. In persecutions it is not lawful to commit suicide except when one's chastity is jeopardized."2 Due to the common occurrence of rape and forced marriage many women found suicide a noble and forgiving way to escape losing their virginity.

May women found suicide comforting in a time ...

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...g theme in the 15th and 16th century. This was most popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth who naturally had the features of a male. Many Women took to wearing breeches on the streets.

The Renaissance feminist movements were never recorded through visual art simply because it did not appeal to the elite nor the churches. The only documentation of these events are found in journals or written studies of women. The genre of the Renaissance art only reinforced the proper role of women. A woman of the Renaissance had two choices: Madonna or Eve.

1Marilyn Stokstad, Art History (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995) 613

2Mary Beth Rose, Women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1986) 34.

3Mary Beth Rose, Women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Syracuse: Sracuse University Press, 1986) 52.

4Mary Beth Rose, 232