Filippo Lippi: The Renaissance Woman

How is one defined as a women in the renaissance? A renaissance women is one who is sophisticated and educated, and most likely vigorous in several fields (Victoria). Although many women in the renaissance were often restricted by their gender roles, a woman named Angela Merici broke the renaissance conventions, because she stood out spiritually and believed she could make a greater impact on the world, than what she was expected to do.

A close look at this work of artistry, the design is the anatomy of a triangle and closely resembles a woman’s private area, the genitalia. That existence said, for way too long woman was meant to marry, have children, be a woman of the house, and adopt their husband’s rules. Clearly this would be a case of stereotyping.

The Renaissance, in Europe, lasted from 1300 until 1600. The word “Renaissance” means “Reawakening” or “rebirth” which is exactly what occurred in Europe throughout this time period. The historical figure Isabella d'Este contributed and embodied the spirit of the Renaissance through her work,life,and legacy. The Renaissance focused on the revival of learning and art. Throughout this enthusiastic time period in Europe several new styles of art and literature were distinguished among people. The Renaissance spirit can be described as enthusiastic and experimental especially through its amazing arts. The historical figure Isabella d’Este leadership and title being the “First Women Of The Renaissance” contributed to the Renaissance. She played a great role in the government which was thought to be surprising since men were thought to outpower women during this time. Although women and men's equality rights are still not fair, Isabella d’Este helped it excell to a greater level.

During Elizabeth I’s reign, she was forced to face many stereotypes in England. In document 1, Knox expressed that women had no place to hold a high position of any form. This belief was prominent throughout the entirety of the 16th century. Many people doubted Elizabeth, justifying these criticisms through their

Elizabeth’s strength, independence, and her intense willpower to assure that her marriage is coordinated only by love demonstrate the feminist portrayal of Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s desire for

Giovanni Boccaccio and Francesco Barbaro provides for not only the men, but women in Italian society their conventional opinion on the perfect example of how a wife should act and behave in order to keep the domestic life at peace and whole. Through their story and most gracious outlook on a woman’s life, we can see what a marriage was life during this time.

Finally Elizabeth is the archetypes of the women that succumb to her husband’s betrayal, staying with him even if she cannot forgive him. She represent the abandon, because she gave up defending herself from the accusation.

This stands out because of the lighter color, and the size given to the object. With the primary color being white, the artist mixed it in with golden-yellow to create an appearance of texture. Morisot used pastel colors for the cradle, cradle veil, window curtain, and the infant’s gown. She employed bolder colors for the woman’s dress, and the wall behind the cradle. The infant’s gown is a pure white color, representing its innocence. The woman’s blue dress, and the black band around her neck, are darker shades to contrast in color to the lighter colors used in the focal point of the artwork. Her dark-colored dress may symbolize her aging as a woman. She is not as young, pure, and innocent as she was in her youth. Her hair appears to be a little gray near her hairline, which is also another sign of aging. The cradle veil is a barrier from any outside harm, as the woman lovingly and adoringly gazes at the infant. This veil also puts a barrier between the viewer and the infant, and gives the feeling of protection and privacy in their shared

The background of the painting is very dark and a reflective of the dark times some women were in during this time. The dark background and the subject’s serious persona give the painting a mysterious sensation. Mrs. Richard Skinner’s clothing pieces are very light colors which give a light-hearted ambiance to the painting but the dark background, dim lighting, and the dark table that lay before her completely alter the mood of the painting. The lighting of the painting, therefore, emphasizes Mrs. Richard Skinner even more due to her dark surroundings, which is another example of Copley’s attempt at accentuating her womanhood. Some of the props in this painting elaborate and stress her sexuality even further. The subject is holding a flower in the painting; flowers are symbolic of purity and femininity. The way the subject is holding the flowers is to be noted as well. She is holding

It has been speculated that the woman that the portrait depicts was in fact a vestal virgin, however one particular feature seems to dispute this theory. Vestal virgins were typically shown with an infula, a frontlet or headband, around the hairline just above the forehead. While from the frontal angle the portrait appears to have a similar band, closer observation shows that the woman's hair has been braided and wrapped around the forehead in similar style, and that the veil she wears appears merely to be of the style generally shown in funerary monuments. All other representations of vestal virgins we have studied generally have a very apparent infula, so in this case it seems that while the features may appear similar, the fuller veil and knotted hairstyle of the portrait, lean more toward matron than vestal virgin (Johansen 246-7).

Concerning color, there is a stark contrast between the figure on the painting and the background. More specifically, the figure of the woman is predominantly delineated in white color, especially pale, ashen white, as far her apparel and facial complexion are concerned, while there are also various hues of grey, with respect to her hair and accessory feather. These white and grey shades are vividly contrasted with the prevailing red and crimson hues of the background (viz. the drape, armchair, and table). Moreover, one can detect colors of dark green (jewelry), some beige on the left (pillar), and darker or lighter shades of blue on the right side of the canvas (sky), which all in concert and in addition to the subtle purple hue forming the sun or moon exude a certain dramatic sentiment. Also, there is brown, which often easily segues into gold (viz. books and attire details respectively). The main contrast of colors between white and red would be interpreted as serving the purpose of rendering the figure of the woman, and especially her face, the focal point of the work, despite, paradoxically enough, the lush red shades at the background. Bearing that in mind, the significance of the woman’s face will be enlarged upon later, when discussing aspects of her identity.

  In her novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays Elizabeth Bennet as "strong and intelligent, yet bewitching in a completely feminine way". Elizabeth's possession of these attributes: strength of character and moral integrity, great intelligence, and an attractive personality, make her an admirable person. Yet Elizabeth has faults, which makes her more human. Austen's portrayal of Elizabeth is realistic and masterful, often juxtaposing her with characters lacking her attributes to heighten our appreciation of her.

Every woman is working hard to look beautiful in front of others, the beauty standard varies from one era to another, one country to another. Here are two paintings showcasing the beauty of women by two great artist. One is called “Girl with Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer a Dutch artist and painted on 1665. The other is “Mona Lisa” painted by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. In both painting, the women gives a different meaning on their concept of beauty, but both are appealing subject to see on a canvas.

The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink

Shakespeare and the members of the Elizabethan era would be appalled at the freedoms women experience today.  The docility of Elizabethan women is almost a forgotten way of life. What we see throughout Shakespeare’s plays is an insight into the female character as perceived by Elizabethan culture.  Shakespeare’s female characters reflect the Elizabethan era’s image of women; they were to be virtuous and obedient and those that were not were portrayed as undesirable and even evil.