Venus vs Frida - (Caroline McCarty)

Venus with the Organ Player depicts a woman clad only in jewels and a thin scarf reclining to the right, seemingly disinterested in the nature scene that Titian has placed in the focal center of the painting. The organist, similarly disinterested in the scene, has eyes only for the woman and acts as a proxy voyeur, a character within the painting that invites the audience to join him in his visual musings. The feet of Venus, in the center of the picture, attract the eye because of the contrast to the dark clothing of the organ player, while the light that seems to fall on Venus’ leg in the foreground draws the eye up the legs and body of Venus to rest on her face. Following her gaze, the eye is directed to the Cupid whispering in her ear, and follows the curve of his arm to her breast. With this, we join the organ player as voyeurs, which seems to be the artist’s intention.

Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green) depicts a row of ballerinas in orange behind a focal ballerina in the midground, executing a turn on one foot. The eye travels down her outstretched arm over a tangle of arms and legs, their forms all but lost in their dresses. Degas seems more concerned with capturing the moment than he is with recording facial details; in fact, the focal dancer’s extended hand appears to smudge out the face of one of the dancers in the background. Degas prioritizes portrayal of movement over portrayal of identity or personality.

Perseus Freeing Andromeda recalls the Princess Andromeda awaiting rescue by the mythical Greek hero Perseus; her arms are pulled above her head and she is chained to a cliff face overlooking the sea while tears stream down her face. It is interesting to note that Perseus appears only as a small figure in the background; his presence is obvious but not emphasized, while the focus remains on Andromeda’s vulnerability.

With Beggar Woman Leaning on a Stick, Rembrandt offers a simple sketch of a careworn old woman, crutch under one arm, hand extended asking for alms. The expression on her face communicates a real world vulnerability, which is in contrast to Andromeda’s “damsel in distress” vulnerability. The artist uses a cross hatching technique to portray not only shading but also a shabby grunginess to the woman’s clothes, suggesting that she is lacking in cleanliness and comfort.

Potato Eaters offers a portrayal of several figures sitting around a table, sharing one dish by lamplight. Their home is dark, and the walls are bare; their simple clothing suggest poverty and a life of manual labor, while they partake of humble fare on humbler furniture. However, both the men and the women seem to have faced similar trials and look as if they rely on each other for support. In this way, the artist seeks to depict poverty as an equalizer between the genders.

Julia Margaret Cameron begins the exploration of women artists’ self-representation in her portrait Long-suffering. Following a Madonna and child motif, the artist poses a mother between two children; one of the children holds a cross, while the other is loosely clothed and leans against the mother’s shoulder. The Madonna figure looks down and away from the camera, which implies humility and virtuousness, which was a common subject in the artist’s work. The title of the portrait implies a patience and fortitude that mothers are familiar with- though motherhood brings joys, it can also bring suffering.

The Child’s Bath, painted by Mary Cassatt, illustrates a moment shared by a mother and her child. The woman, in a colorful striped dress, holds the child on her lap while they both look down into a bowl of water. The mother gently bathes the child’s foot, recalling the biblical tales of foot washing as a form of humble service. Both figures appear relaxed and serene as they share a moment of closeness.

Elizabeth Adela Stanhope Forbes explores women’s connection to fantasy and imagination with her triptych Will-o’-the-Wisp. The painting contains mystical elements, such as the mist around the woman’s ankles, silhouetted tree branches, and the fairy folk in the rightmost panel. The painting is dark, which contrasts with the maiden’s white dress; this provides the painting’s focal point and draws the eye directly to the woman in her slumped position on the edge of a hilltop.

The painting Love’s Young Dream depicts a young woman, flowers in hand, on a porch with her aging parents, gazing towards an approaching rider on the road far below. Jennie Augusta Brownscombe draws parallels between the couples; splitting the painting in half, it is shown that the women’s gazes are similar. The mother looks at her daughter, appearing to recall her own young love. Above the older couple, the sky is obscured by vines that climb a house, presumably that of the older couple. In contrast, the sky above the rider in the young woman’s half of the painting is clear and inviting- a promise of young dreams to be fulfilled.

In the drawing Appearances Can Be Deceiving, Frida Kahlo illustrates the disparities between her public appearance and her broken body, which was a result of multiple injuries and illnesses. Her dress on the outside appears ghostly, while her body, patched and disconnected, appears more solid and can be seen through the outer façade. The artist appears to be more sure of her inner life than she is confident of her outward image; the colors reflect this sentiment.