The female in art is one of the revolution development of 15th century Renaissance paintings in Western Europe. The subject of the females nudes were often placed in compositions that accentuated the glow of their skin, the use of a close up vantage point idealised their bodies as goddesses.
Sleeping Venus (1510) by Giorgione
This is a painting by Italian Renaissance painter Giorgione. This is the first ever female reclining nude in European paintings that was depicted as the principal and only subject matter in the painting. The painting was never completed by Giorgione himself but by Titian after the death of the painter in 1510 who finished the landscape and the sky.
This painting was one of the last masterpieces by Giorgione, depicting a nude woman. This choice has often mirrored erotic implications, and was a revolutionary turning point in modern art as women as single subjects was rarely seen in Western paintings. This sense of eroticism is emphasised in the print by the raised arm and the placement of the hand in the groin area; moreover this gesture is elegant suggesting a mythological beauty. The pose of the figure along with the softness of the facial expression creates a sense of a dreamlike quality; a idyllic attitude towards nature and beauty was a key theme in Giorgoine paintings. The design of the landscape seen in the background is very much an central theme in European art, mimicking the womanly figure of the subject in the painting; this simple composition can be seen in later paintings by artists such as Ingres and Rubens.
Giorgoine depicts his subject not for sexual desire, she is painted as a goddess sleeping unaware of the audience peeping in; the audience are transported into her own dreamworld.
The scenery is characterised by contrast; she is set underneath a protective hill on the left, an approaching storm in the far centre and a villa on the right giving a sense that is protected from the brutality of the real world.
Olympia (1863) Edouard Manet
This is the painting by Edouard Manet (1863) and was inspired by the Titain's 'Venus of Urbino' which in turn refers to the painting by Giorgoine discussed above.
This painting in the context of the date, was considered immoral and vulgar; it was not the presentation of the naked woman not even the presence of the black servant, but by the confrontational gaze of the subject.Unlike the presentation of the woman in Giorgoine's painting as a goddess style creature, this woman is a high class prostitute waiting for a client. Such iconography in the painting highlights this ideal; the orchid in her hair, her bracelet, the pearl earrings she wears all suggest a lifestyle of wealth and sensuality. Whereas the delicate covering of Venus's groin in Giorgoine painting suggests innocence, the firm covering of the subject in Manet's paintings suggests dominance.
The painting is quite masculine; the broad quick brushstrokes and the use of harsh lighting eliminates mid tones and shallow depth of field. These can be compared to the idealised woman in Giorgoine's painting; the pigments mixed in with the oil and resin create an vision of beauty; whereas Manet's depiction of the nude is very brutal through the use of harsh light and the lack of half tones. Many people stated at the Paris Salon exhibition in 1865 that they found it hard to let their eyes wonder, each detail trying to make sense of it all but always coming back to a world that is fragmented.
The drapery on the bed, the untucked bed, the ruffled pillows contrast the feminine draping of bedding in Giorgoine's painting. The dark somewhat menacing eyes make the audience feel uneasy. Also the loyal sleeping dog in Titian's painting 'Venus of Urbino'(1538) has been replaced by the startled cat, a sign of infidelity. The painting portrays the harshness of a contemporary subject. Manet challenges the function of art in France and creates what some may say as the first modern painting.
Posted by Team 7
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