Blog #6
Response to: http://csmt11.posterous.com/womens-myspace-photos-dont-self-represent-a-h
I wanted to re-visit the Dobson piece, because it not only stirred up discussion in class but I had particular interest in the subject matter after taking a Renaissance Art History course last semester. As Justin noted, it is questionable as to whether these girls taking provocative photos for Myspace with thought regarding the deeper social statements being made about gender roles however, no matter what the intention, the end result is the same. Furthermore, though art history was not the focal point of the article, it’s worthwhile to look at how the standards and practices of Renaissance art have influenced young women and their display of ‘self’ on social media platforms today.
Portraiture during the Renaissance was an involved and carefully planned process since it took more time and money than it does to take a snap-shot on your camera and upload it to Myspace. However, the functions of a portrait, which could serve to document lineage, project prestige and power, document one’s profession, display oneself to the opposite sex, etc. still hold resonance today.
Portraits of women during the Renaissance were primarily commissioned by a man in their life (such as a father or husband) since they didn’t have their own money to spend. The result was that these images became approximations of how a man wanted the woman to be portrayed and forever preserved. Today, women are free to produce their own portraits via photography, however, we find that they are still attempting to cater their images in a ‘hetro-sexy’ form which is what they believe is desired by male peers.
It’s interesting to note that women were seen in ‘profile’ longer than men, because it was customary for women to not directly face a man—they would often avert their eyes to avoid appearing too suggestive. In Palma Vecchio’s A Blonde Woman (1520), the portrait features an anonymous woman, looking directly at the viewer and appearing to offer a bunch of flowers. Her positioning engages onlookers and her exposed breast hints at an essence of sexuality in the image. The portrait presents somewhat of a conflict of ‘moral code’ at the time of it’s creation. I thought this example was relevant to the Dobson text because it shows how even in many years past, the positioning and facial expression of a woman in a portrait held a deeper significance than the picture at face value. Despite the ‘Blonde Woman’s’ knowledge or intention, she has been forever persevered as a ‘hetero-sexy’ archetype of the Renaissance in comparison to her ‘respectfully’ portrayed counterparts, similarly to how the young women in Dobson’s piece have displayed themselves in a way that portrays a particular aura about their image and identity.
-Emma L.