Throughout
early 15th through 18th centuries, women have been told that they
should be; delicate, soft, quiet, and submissive to any male figure. Women were
taught as young girls to carry out these characteristics and to not be
outspoken or loud. They were usually taught not to make immodest eye contact
with someone of the opposite gender, as this would be seen as an immodest act. People
were Leary and uncomfortable with the idea of a woman interacting directly with
the viewer through their gaze. Not only were people initially uncomfortable
with a woman making direct eye contact with the viewer, but also through adding
a nude figure interacting with a direct gaze was truly met with backlash. However,
through portraitures woman now had the power to show any emotion through their
body pose and more specifically their face. When most people encounter a person
for the first time they notice their eyes. Eyes are a great way of communicating
emotions and non-verbal messages. Women have an interesting effect on people
when it comes to feminine charm, especially when it comes to their coy yet
pleasant gestures. It is interesting when there is a relationship between what
a modest and coy gaze looks like versus a more sensuous and flirty, and
sometimes emotionless gaze with a woman that is unclothed. That is a
relationship that quite different but has some interesting comparisons as well.
It allows the viewer to interact with
these different portraits of women through observing their eye contact, as well
as the difference between what it means to be clothed and unclothed and giving
direct eye contact.
Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Il Baciccio), Portrait of a Woman ca. 1670s,
Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Accession Number: 2014.277
Battista,
rendered the woman in a flirtatious manner having her wearing pearl earrings as
well as pearl decorations on her dress. Pearls during this 1600s were only
allowed to people who had a higher social status. Through her gaze, the viewer
cant help but stare into her almost, too dark black eyes. They are quite
piercing which in contrast with her rosy-ivory skin causes a nice contrast. This
is the definition portrait of what a modest, coy, and conservative female
would most likely look like when it pertains to her pose and slight smile and
friendly eyes. Though most likely from upper society based on her attire, her
eyes as well as body posture does not read as a sexual figure.
Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1665–67,
Oil on canvas, Koninklijk Kabinet van Schilderijen Mauritshuis, The Hague.
In
this portrait of a woman in a headdress and a pearl earring, shows a coy young
woman. Through her gaze the viewer not
only pays attention to the abnormally large pearl-like earring. With her
foreign outfit, it allows the viewer to interact with her modest outfit and
focus in on her as a person. Her semi
flirty gaze causes the viewer to be lost in her enticing gaze. It also allows
the viewer to pay attention to her earring and the fact that her outfit is unlike the everyday attire. She shows how
the gaze of the eye can be enticing without having to be seductive through her
clothing. The way that she is rendered leaves the impression of timeless beauty.
Titian, Venus of Urbino, 1538,
Oil on Canvas, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy
This
portrait of a female nude is credited to be the first of the period to have her
gaze directly interacting with the viewer as well as being in a reclined pose. This
is another example like Olympia, she
is reclining and nude, however her pose is much more sensual though the cupping
of her hands over her lower extremities. It is more of an erotic pose. Through her
intense and sensual gaze towards the viewer, she forces the viewer to look upon
her body, as she seems to be more of a Venus goddess rather than the average
woman walking around Italy at this time.
Édouard Manet, Olympia, 1863,
Oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Réunion des Musées
Nationaux / Art Resource, NY
In this portrait of a reclining female nude “Olympia” on a
bed, next to a black woman servant, and a black cat cause many eyebrows to
rise, upon its appearance in salon. Her provocative and sexual gaze allowed for
many negative responses to it. She is not only nude but also most likely a
prostitute. She is not a foreign goddess figure, which would have been more
acceptable for the viewer to engage with. Instead it is noted that she is an
average female with features that would connect her to Paris at this time. At
this time in the 1800s, the concept of a prostitute from the same place as the
viewer made people extremely uncomfortable. It is more about resisting of the
pleasures of her suitors offers ie, the flowers. She seems to be comfortable in
her skin, but not necessarily posed in her body language to seduce the viewer.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque, 1814,
Oil on canvas, Louvre,
Paris
Through
this familiar reclining figure, her elongated body features allow for a
virtually unrealistic body. Her origin
seems to be of a different country, which allows the viewer to be more
comfortable with the idea of gazing upon her body. Her direct eye contact as well as
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, c. 1504,
Oil
on Canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
In this undoubtedly famous and reproduced Italian
portrait of a woman, there is strong focus on eye contact but also a view of a
woman “Mona Lisa” who captures the essence of a strong woman. The viewer is
forced to interact with her slight smile and eyes, which seem at first glance
inviting but through longer interaction; filled with mystery. We are forced into direct observation of Mona
Lisa, and her surrounding atmospheric surroundings. This particular piece
through its mysterious quality seemed to have a profound impact on Leonardo da
Vinci, as he kept this painting in his personal collection instead of actually
selling it to the person who commissioned him for the portrait.
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