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Venus Of Urbino Women

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All types of art have a message they are trying to pass to the world some of which may be straightforward and others hidden. For this reason, it is very important to understand, interpret and critically analyze the art in order to get the intended message. The major theme that I am going to analyze is the viewpoints and representation of women in artwork. Some artists have depicted women as mother figures, wives and lovers. They describe the women as caring, loving and protecting them from harm. Other artists depict women who are undergoing different life experiences, the challenges they face and the pressure that the society puts on them. However, many artists have depicted women as sexual objects, hence referring to their nudity. Female nudity …show more content…

The oil painting is known as Venus of Urbino, which was done in 1538 during the Renaissance time period. In Greek and Roman cultures, Venus was worshiped as a goddess. In her cult images, she was often depicted as a woman who possessed everything an ideal beautiful woman should have. During the Renaissance she was no longer literally considered to be a goddess. The title “Venus” was applied to a woman who is the idealized, sexualized form of beauty . It is a very erotic painting that depicted a naked woman identified with Venus, lying on a bed and her frontal view is on display. She looks like she is enjoying being admired. The woman stares straight into the viewers’ eyes while one of her hands covers her genitals and the other holds red roses. In the background there is a maid and a dog which is often viewed as a symbol of fidelity. Some have interpreted the painting to mean a sign of marital love and fidelity since it was painted to celebrate Guidobaldo’s …show more content…

An archaic woman was expected to have big breasts and thighs in order to show their fertility. The painting depicts the woman as very curvy and fleshy, in other words very beautiful during this time period. This is what influenced art during the Renaissance and attitude towards women’s sexuality. The women were considered to be sex objects and their duty was to satisfy men in bed and produce the children. The artist of The Blue Room, Valdon, was one of the painters who chose to revolutionize how people view the woman’s body. She chose not to paint the typical woman, but rather use slightly overweight models, including herself, who were fully clothed. She represents women as an experience rather than a sexual object. She focuses on the intensity of the moment and its circumstances rather than the body and posture of the women. Valdon centers her piece on the changes that women undergo with their bodies at different stages in their lives. The purpose of her piece seems not to please men, but to see the beauty in modesty and versatility of women’s shapes. This painting has been criticized by both men and women- who view the woman as fat and unfeminine and it has sometimes been referred to as

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