The Portraiture of Women During the Renaissance

1809 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Art during the renaissance period essay

This essay will discuss how women were represented in the portraiture during the Renaissance period. It will explain how the women’s body was pictured in portraiture as; marriage celebrant, husbands beloved, figures of fertility, mothers, display of wealth, paragons of virtues, husband’s passive representative, indication of fashion and more (Brown, 2003). Next, it will include analysis from the two female portraits of Leonardo de Vinci’s Ginerva de’ Benci and Sandro Botticelli’s Portrait of a Lady. First, I will explain what portrait means and then represent my own interpretation of Botticelli’s Portrait of a Lady by referring to instructional “activity dialog” that details how to analyse the body’s subject in the portrait (Mckennee et al., 1994). Second, I will discuss how the Renaissance ideal perception of the women’s body image was influenced by philosophy of humanism, religious saintly virtues and the poets’ understandings (Haughton, 2004). In short, I will explain how the radical change occurred in the woman’s portraiture in late fifteen-centuries where the traditional profile view was no longer popular and straight frontal presentation was fully practised. To exemplify this transformation, the painting of Leonardo’s Ginerva de’ Benci will be employed as means of analysis as Leonardo was instrumental in this fundamental change in the women’s portraiture (Garrard, 2006). Overall, it is quite astonishing how much constructive interpretation can be derived from one single portrait and these expressions will help me to expand my language and writing skill. I think practising the portrait activity-dialog between the viewer and the portrait’s subject expands the mind to be more creative which in turn initiates the development...

... middle of paper ...

...ty in Renaissance art. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 3(4), 229-233. doi: 10.1111/j.1473-2310.2004.00142.x

Gromling, A. & Lingesleben,T. (1998). Botticelli 1444/45-1510 [Translation from the German; Fiona Hulse] (1st ed.).Koln, Germany: Neue Stalling, Oldenburg.

Long, J.C., (2008). Botticelli’s Birth of Venus as wedding painting. Aurora, The Journal of the History of Art, 9, p.1. ISSN 1527-652X.

McKennee, A., Malone, L., Hazelroth, S., & Kinney, B. (1994). Instructional resources: What is represented in a portrait? Art Education, 47(6), 25-32. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193462.

Morrison, B. (2004, June 12). Portraits. The Guardian, p. 16.

Weinberg, G. S., (Jan, 2004). D. G. Rossetti's Ownership of Botticelli's 'Smeralda Brandini.' The Burlington Magazine, 146, No. 1210, pp.20-26. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20073357

Show More
Related

  • The Story of Bianco Alfani: Reflecting the Nature of 14th Century Florentine Society

    1520 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buonaccorso Pitti, Diary, in Gene Brucker (ed), Two Memoirs of Renaissance Florence (Waveland Press, 1991), pp. 19-106

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Michael Baxandall's Conditions of Trade

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Baxandall, Michael. “Conditions of Trade.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

    Read More

  • Women In Renaissance Florence

    1802 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the traditional political history of Italy the people outside of the ruling class of the society were rarely studied. Only with the use of social history did the issues of class and gender begin to be debated by scholars. Numerous recent articles have done a great job of analysing particularly men of high status. In this paper I will look at the lower classes of Renaissance Florence. More specifically, I will center my focus on the lives of women during this era, how they were treated and viewed by people of other classes and how women were viewed and treated by men.

    Read More

  • Artemisia Gentileschi

    1992 Words  | 4 Pages

    RODERICK CONWAY MORRIS, “Artemisia: Her Passion Was Painting Above All Else”, New York Times, Published November 18, 2011

    Read More

  • epq

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this essay I’ll be exploring various concepts of women and will deeply criticise the way women are seen and portrayed through advertising. My primary resource I’ll be referring to throughout this essay is a book called ‘Ways of seeing’ by John Berger, which highlights the role women during the early renaissance and onwards. In addition to this I will explore the various beliefs of women from a wide range of secondary resources, and will include references from books, websites, and various images to help clarify my statements.

    Read More

  • Italian Women of the Renaissance

    2232 Words  | 5 Pages

    Across Europe, between 1400 and 1650, there were women present in all major styles of time. They worked along side of great artists and were developing new techniques and styles. Women also played a very important role in the Renaissance. Although not as well documented as their male counterparts, women worked along with the other great masters, were just as innovating, and were key in developing new techniques.

    Read More

  • Women In Giovanni Boccaccio's On Famous Women

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    Her chief arguing points and evidence relate to the constriction of female sexuality in comparison to male sexuality; women’s economic and political roles; women’s access to power, agency, and land; the cultural roles of women in shaping their society; and, finally, contemporary ideology about women. For her, the change in privacy and public life in the Renaissance escalated the modern division of the sexes, thus firmly making the woman into a beautiful

    Read More

  • Giovanni di Paolo' Art: Transitioning from Medieval to Renaissance

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    Smith, Marilyn. "Giovanni di Paolo." The Oxford Companion to Western Art. Ed. Hugh Brigstocke. Oxford Art Online. 17 Nov. 2009. .

    Read More

  • The Art of the Renaissance

    2065 Words  | 5 Pages

    Though the Renaissance era included all of Europe, Italy was the cradle of the movement. The cities of Florence, Rome and Venice were of great importance to this period. Major artists created art mainly in these three. As the center of Italy, Rome held the residence of the Pope and many other important factors. Throughout history, the Roman Catholic Church was very insistent on promoting their ideas. During this time, they used artists and their creativity to promote the Bible and other aspects of their beliefs. Artists were paid, or commissioned by patrons (often the Pope) to create art they wanted. One of the most ambitious patrons was Pope Julius II, who realized the impact visual images had on people’s ideas (Kleiner, 599). Pope Julius II was called the warring Pope, because he often went and involved himself in wars. He also held very humanistic ideas. Because of this, Michelangelo’s relationship to Pope Julius II was very different from his relationship with Pope Leo X, who succeeded Julius II. Julius, because of his adaptions to humanistic thoughts, he let Michelangelo express himself to the fullest, even when forcing him to paint the Sistine Chapel. Leo X, however, was very critical of everything Michelangelo set out upon. This resulted a strained relationship, and eventually abandonment of projects that were supposed to be completed. It is clear that Pope Julius II had a liking for Michelangelo, while the Medici’s looked on him as a type of lowly artist subject to their will.

    Read More

  • Early Italian Renaissance Art

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    The artistic theme in which an artist depicts the Virgin Mary with Jesus Christ as a child is known as the ‘Madonna and Child’. This depiction has its roots in Early Christian art due to the iconic roles that Christ and Mary play in the Christian religion (Dunkerton 37). The ‘Madonna and Child’ has had a place in many of the early periods and traditions of art. Religious themes were able to command such a strong presence in the history of art due to their role as devotional aides in churches and other religious buildings (Dunkerton 27). Religious art was well maintained by religious orders and churches, and many patrons throughout early history were tied to the Catholic Church. In the 1400s, religious artwork continued to play a prominent role, but a revival of the Classical form also started to occur. The period known as the renaissance was marked by a desire to look back on the past and a sense of individualism. The era also brought about the use of new and classical techniques for art such as naturalism, perspective, and proportion. Nonetheless, art during this period remained diverse as several art traditions, influences, and patrons contributed to the outcome of an artist’s work. The National Gallery of Ireland possesses a few of depictions of the Virgin Mary and Child in its collection of Early Italian work. The first work I will discuss is a work by Zanobi di Jacopo Machiavelli known as ‘Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints’, which was complete in 1470. The second work is known as, ‘The Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints John the Baptist and Lucy’, and was completed by Marco Palmezzano in 1513 (National Gallery of Ireland: Essential Guide). While created around the same time period and within close geographical proxim...

    Read More

  • Renaissance Venice

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    Partridge, Loren. The Art of Renaissance Rome 1400-1600. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1996.

    Read More

  • Michelangelo's Motivation

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    The masculine and idealized form of the human body is an ever-present characteristic of Michelangelo’s sculpture. Many people over the years have speculated why this may be, but there has never been a definitive answer, and probably never will be. Through all of his sculpture there is a distinct classical influence, with both his subject matter and his inclination to artistically create something beautiful. In most cases, for Michelangelo, this means the idealized human figure, seeping with contraposto. This revival of classical influences is common for a Renaissance artisan, but the new, exaggerated form of the human body is new and unique to Michelangelo’s artistic style.

    Read More

  • Conditions of Trade, by Michael Baxandall

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    Baxandall, Michael. “Conditions of Trade.” Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-century Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

    Read More

  • The Birth of Venus

    852 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Birth of Venus is a beautiful Renaissance canvas masterpiece created by Sandro Botticello. The picture illustrates the birth of Venus in a very mystical way. Venus has emerged from sea on a shell which is being driven to shore by flying wind-gods. She is surrounded by beautiful roses which are painted in a truly remarkable color. As she is about to step to land, one of the Hours hands her a purple cloak. The back drop includes the sea and a forest. The overall effect of this painting are almost overwhelming, color and beauty meet the eye in every angle.

    Read More

  • Art Analysis: Portrait of a Woman With a Man at a Casement

    2038 Words  | 5 Pages

    The purpose of the present paper is to discuss a very interesting piece of art, Fra Filippo Lippi's “Portrait of a woman with a man at a Casement”. I will begin by the analysis of the formal qualities of the painting such as the composition, the color, line, texture, proportion, balance, contrast and rhythm. I will then discuss how the work fits a certain stylistic category. I will demonstrate that the painting reflects the social and cultural trends of the period in which it was created.

    Read More

More about The Portraiture of Women During the Renaissance

Open Document