TITIAN Venus of Urbino (1538)






If one seeks to understand the role or expectations of
women in a society, the answer can usually be
gleaned from looking at that society's art. Here,
an Italian woman is depicted reclining in the nude.
She is supposed to represent womanly beauty--
"the qualities he (the duke of Urbino) sought in
a bride." In contrast to this "ideal woman" is another,
Lady Feng, whose act of bravery is immortalized in
a Chinese scroll. Lady Feng's fight with a bear, to
"save the life of her emperor" was considered "a
perfect model of Confucian behavior." She was
celebrated for taking action, not just lying on a bed
naked. And through these two representations of
women, we can see how the men who painted them
viewed them, and how that effected their role in
society. Chinese women in the 300's were
encouraged to be brave, take action, do the right
thing, while most Italian women were only
celebrated for their external beauty.


(* quotations used are taken from Gardner's
Art through the Ages)

GU KAIZHI Lady Feng and the Bear (300's)