The Madonna and the Whore

Sigmund Freud, living and working in Vienna at the turn of the 20^th century, greatly contributed to the rise of sensuality as normative.  Freud discovered the Madonna/whore dichotomy; he argued that men saw women in one of two ways: as a loving mother and elegant woman or as a temptress and a whore.  The Madonna/whore dichotomy became very prevalent in art during this time.  Artists like Gustav Klimt, who lived in Vienna during the height of Sigmund Freud’s psychology, exemplify the Madonna/whore dichotomy perfectly.  Klimt painted women almost exclusively in stoic, sexless portraits or bold, sensuous nudes.  He created art that sat on both extreme ends of the spectrum; his women were either a Madonna or a whore.  His student, Egon Shiele, focused his art on women, as well; he painted a variety of women: prostitutes, models, his younger sister, his wife, and his mistresses.  While many characterize Shiele by his abrasive nudes, some fail to remember his paintings of fully clothed women, appearing to be from an upper class.  Interestingly, Schiele also painted women in unique styles that cannot be classified as Madonna or whore, such as the case with Seated Woman, Back View.  Throughout art history, many artists, like Klimt, portrayed the woman as either Madonna or whore, but a few chose to explore the space in between, like Schiele. 

Emilie Flöge, Aged 17, Gustav Klimt, 1891, Pastel on Paper, Private Collection, http://www.wikiart.org/en/gustav-klimt/emilie-flöge-aged-17-1891

            Gustav Klimt’s Emilie Flöge, Aged 17 is an excellent addition to my curatorial project.  It is a prime example of Klimt’s portrayal of a woman as strictly a Madonna.  Klimt painted the profile of a young woman with her dark hair pinned up; she wears white, the color of purity. Through my curation, I want to draw attention to how women were characteristically portrayed as either a Madonna or a whore in order to show the unique nature of Seated Woman, Back View. This piece is relevant to my curatorial project because it exemplifies the Madonna side of the Madonna/whore dichotomy. 

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665, Oil on canvas, 17 ½ x 15 3/8 in. (44.5 x 39.0 cm), Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, http://www.frick.org/exhibitions/mauritshuis/670

            This piece by Johannes Vermeer provides another great example of the Madonna side of the Madonna/whore dichotomy.  For my curation, I want a second example of a portrayal of a woman as a Madonna, outside of a piece by Klimt.  Because of the age of this piece, viewers would see that the artistic portrayal of a woman as a Madonna goes back much farther than the psychology of Sigmund Freud and the art of the early 20^th century.  Adding Girl with a Pearl Earring would provide my viewers with a better understanding of the Madonna/whore dichotomy throughout art history.     

Danae, Gustav Klimt, 1908, Oil on Canvas, 77 x 83 cm, Galerie Wurthle, Vienna, Austria http://www.wikiart.org/en/gustav-klimt/danae-1908

            Gustav Klimt’s Danae is an excellent example of Klimt’s portrayal of a woman as a whore.  He painted her in a fetal position, leaving little up to the imagination.  Her left breast is exposed and the outline of her bare bottom and thigh draw viewers’ attention.  Her red hair flows freely and her eyes are closed, inviting the male gaze.  This painting would be instrumental in exemplifying the whore aspect of the Madonna/whore dichotomy.  It is also important that my curatorial project contain artworks by Gustav Klimt because he greatly influenced Egon Schiele.

Reclining Nude (Thin Adeline), Walter Richard Sickert, 1906, Oil on Canvas, 18 1/8 × 15 1/8 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1984.433.24

            This piece, done during the early 20^th century is another excellent example of a portrayal of a woman as a whore.  Sickert painted a completely nude woman, reclining on a bed with her arms outstretched, making herself physically inviting to the viewer.  While not expressly detailed, the contrast in color between her pale skin and darker hair in her pubic region draws the viewer’s eye to her genitalia, reminding the viewer of this woman’s explicit sexuality.      

Woman Buttoning Her Shoes, Egon Schiele, 1915, Charcoal on Paper, 19 x 12 1/2 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1984.433.304a, b

           

            This charcoal sketch, like Seated Woman, Back View, finds itself somewhere in between the Madonna and the whore.  Schiele drew a woman getting dressed, specifically buttoning her shoes.  While she wears her undergarments, she is not distinctively portrayed as a whore.  Schiele has drawn her in this private, fleeting moment where she is not a whore but not yet dressed as a Madonna.  This piece would add to my curatorial project because it contrasts against the portrayals of woman as either Madonna or whore.

The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve, Carlo de Camerino, c 1400, tempera and gold on wood panel, Framed - h:191.50 w:99.00 d:11.00 cm (h:75 3/8 w:38 15/16 d:4 5/16 inches) Unframed - h:181.50 w:88.60 cm (h:71 7/16 w:34 7/8 inches). Holden Collection 1916.795, The Cleveland Museum of Art, http://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.795

The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve by Carlo de Camerino would be an incredible addition to my curation.  Painted around 1400, this piece shows the literal Madonna, the Virgin Mary, and the original sinner, Eve.  By putting these two women together in the same painting, Carlo de Camerino made a statement regarding the characterization of women.  The juxtaposition of these well-known women in this very old piece of art shows how the Madonna/whore complex goes back well into antiquity.  By putting these two women together in the same painting, Carlo de Camerino made a statement regarding the characterization of women.

My original artwork, the centerpiece of the curation: Seated Woman, Back View, Egon Schiele, 1917, Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper, 18 1/4 x 11 3/4 in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1984.433.294.