LoganGreen

lmg3398

WomenLostInThought
Womenhavebeenthesubjectofmanypaintingsthroughoutallofarthistory.Insome
paintings,womenhavebeenpaintedtoshowofftheirelegance,whileinothers,womenare
paintedwiththesamestatureasamale.
Charity
byJacquesBlanchard(c.163435),
Sleeping
VenusWithTwoPuttiInaLandscape
byGiovanniLanfranco(c.1632),
TheToiletofVenus
by
SimonVouet(c.1640),andanunknownartists
Leda,afterMichelangelo
ofthesixteenth
centuryeachdisplayawomanasthemainsubjectoftheworkofart.Thewomeninthesefour
worksofartareallplacedindifferentscenarios,withverylittleconnectionbetweenthem.Yet
thereisonesimilaritythatstandsouttotheviewer:thesenseofeasethesewomenpossess.
Despitetheexternalfactorsaroundthem,thewomenintheartworkchosenappeartoremain
relaxed,andlostintheirownthought.
Threeofthefourpiecesofworkselectedaremorecloselyrelatedthantheother.
Charity,SleepingVenusWithTwoPuttiInaLandscape,
and
TheToiletofVenus
arepaintings
fromthebaroqueera,andthereforewillhavesomesimilarfeatures.Ineachofthesepaintings,
theviewerseyeisfirstdrawntotherichbluecolor.Theblueisstrategicallyplacedwhereitis
ineachofthesepaintingssothattheviewermayfocusonthemainsubjectthewomen.In
Charity,
themotherisdrapedinasilkybluegarment.Blanchardplacedlightcoloredcherubson
andaroundthegarment,whichcreatesacontrastthatfurtherexpressestherichbluecolor.The
blueclothingcreatesaframeforthemothersbreast,leadinguptoherexpressiveface.Whenthe
viewerseyesmaketheirwaytoherface,youcanseethatthemotherispreoccupiedinthought,
despitethecommotionthecherubshavecreatedaroundher.Themotherlooksawayfromher

children,asiftobedistractedbysomethingentirelydifferent.Themotherislostinherown
thought.Whilein
SleepingVenusWithTwoPuttiInaLandscape
LanFrancodoesntwraphis
subjectinabluegarment,hestillusescolortobringfocustoher.LikeBlanchard,LanFranco
usesthecontrastbetweenblueandaporcelaincolortoilluminatethewoman,onlyheaddsa
dashofredtothemix.Venusresting,elongatedbodystretchesfromonesideofthecanvasto
theother.Thevibrantblueskyabovemirrorsherbody.Venusislyingonacrimsonredgarment
whichfurthercreatesacontrastbetweenavividcolorandwhite,bringingmoreattentionto
Venusherself.ThegradientofcoloronVenusbodystartsathertoesandgrowsdarkerasyou
reachthefinalviewpointherface,whichfallsundertheshadowofhertent.Here,weseea
sleepingVenusasthenamesuggestswhoisundisturbedbythecherubsadmiringher.Similar
toin
Charity,
Vouetusesanenticingbluegarmenttoattracttheviewerseyeinhiswork
The
ToiletofVenus.
NotonlydoesVouetusethisbrightblue,butheusesanarrayofvibrantcolors
thatallaidinbringingtheviewerscentralfocustothesubjectofhispainting,Venus.Theeye
firstisattractedtothebluegarmentwrappedlooselyaroundVenuswhichpopsduetothe
contrastbetweenrichblueandwhitebutthenisimmediatelymovestothepastelblueandpink
coloreddraperythatisaccompaniedbyadetailedgoldvaseinthelowerrighthandcornerofthe
painting.Thedraperymovesupthesideoftheframe,whereyoureyemeetsthecrimsonred
drapery,whichtakesupalargeportionofthetophalfofthepainting.Fromthere,youreyesdrop
tothelittlecherubsholdingadecorativegoldmirror.Withinthatmirror,theviewerwitnesses
Venuslookingbackatherself,andawayfromthewomenwhoaretryingtogiveherattention.
TheviewercantracethetrackinwhichVouetbringsfocustoVenusfromthebluegarment
Venusiswrappedin,tothepasteldraperyandgoldvase,tothecrimsondrapery,tothemirror

withherreflection,andfinallywemeetVenusherself.Despitethevibrantcolors,andmultiple
peoplearoundher,Venusseemsfixatedonlywithherreflectioninthemirror.Nomatterwhatis
goingonaroundher,theoutsidefactorsdontseemtophaseVenus.Inthepaintings
Charity,
SleepingVenusWithTwoPuttiInaLandscape,
and
TheToiletofVenus,
theartistscreatethis
visualcontrastbetweenbrightcolors,andaporceline,whitewoman,whichaidsinilluminating
saidwomen.Thefacesandpostureofthesewomengiveofftheimpressionthattheyarent
worriedabouttheirsurroundings,thatthereissomethingelsethatpangstheirminds.
Contrarytothebaroqueesquepaintingsdescribedearlier,thefourthpieceofart,
Leda,
afterMichelangelo,
isanetching.Whileforobviousreasonsthisworkofartisabitdifferent
thantheothers,itstillconveysthesameimageofawomansoconsumedinherownthought.
Whilethefactthatthispieceisanetchingprohibitstheartistfromusingcolorcontrasttobring
focustothewoman,hestillsucceedsinmakingthewomanthecenterofattention.Theeyeis
immediatelydrawntothewomansthighduetothefactthatitisthislargesmoothspace,thatis
surroundedbymanylittleetchings.Thedetailedwingunderthewomansthighhelpstocreate
thiscontrast.Restingontopofthethighisthewomanslimphand,whichcapturestheviewers
eyeinstantly.Fromthere,theeyetravelsupthewomansarmtomeetaplantthatlinesthetopof
thewomansstomach.Theplantleadsdirectlyintotheexasperatedmouthofthewoman.Wecan
seethatsomethinghasconsumedthiswomansthoughts,somethingthatcausesherjawtodrop.
Shedoesnotseemdistractedbythecherubnexttoher,oranythingthatsgoingonaroundher.
Howeversheisentirelydistractedbywhatevermaybegoingoninhermind.
Despitethat
Leda,afterMichelangelo
isanetchingratherthanapaintinglike
Charity,
SleepingVenusWithTwoPuttiInaLandscape,
and
TheToiletofVenus,
thebodiesofallfour

womenarefairlysimilar.Thefirstsimilaritybetweenthewomenistheirpure,whitebodies,
whichwasverycommoninartworkduring16th18thcenturies.Aspreviouslydiscussed,these
whitebodieshelpedincreatingthewomanasthecenterfocusoftheartwork.Alongwiththe
coloroftheirskin,thewomenareallratherthick,anothercommonfeatureofwomenpainted
duringthistimeperiod.Thesewomanarefull,fromtheirthighstotheirbusts.Thisgivesthe
womenmass,theyoccupyaspace.Inthepieces
Charity
and
TheToiletofVenus,
theartists
drapethewomeninagarment,thathelptoexploittheirdimensionsandweight.Thewomenin
SleepingVenusWithTwoPuttiInaLandscape
and
Leda,afterMichelangelo
arelyingnudeona
pieceofcloth.Theartistsgivetheirwomenmassbythedetailinwhichthegarmentsfoldand
creaseundertheirbodies.However,despitetheeffortstheseartistmadetoaddweighttothese
women,theallseemasiftheyareweightless.Thewomensbodiesseemtobegentlyplacedinto
thepiecesofart.Whilethewomenfitdirectlyintotheirsurroundings,theykindoffloatabove
therest.Thiselementfurtherdrawstheviewertofocusonthewomen,andreallyexaminewhat
itisaboutthem.Withoutfail,theviewerseyeswillalwaysbedrawntothewomensfacesthe
facesthataresoconsumedbytheirownthought.