There are many depictions of what femininity looks like. Whether it looks like Ingres’ painting of Princess de Broglie or Venus of Urbino by Titian, they all have a commonality of an idealized woman.
Auguste Renoir’s In the Meadow depicts two young girls sitting under trees in a beautiful nature scene, which illustrates femininity in young girls through a picture of youthful innocence. This is seen through the light pastels of their dresses, and the way they are graciously picking flowers. Their positioning is elegant and lady-like. This can be compared to the many paintings of young women and women throughout time. The way femininity is portrayed throughout time is unique, because of how different it is portrayed in different parts of history.
When looking at the portrayal of femininity in the past, there is a theme of prim, proper and elegance. As we journey through different time periods, women are painted to represent the goddess Venus, which are represented through reclining nudes. Renoir also has a collection of nudes of women, some of which are more sexualized, but many painters found the nude to be an intellectual tool to help point to historical myths, gods, goddesses, and morality. In later fashion industries, there are dresses made with hooped skirts in the 20s then corsets in the 40s. These were worn by almost all women and were expected to wear them to formal events. With having this as the historical pattern, there is a difference when comparing this to recent art. In more modern art, we see the themes of courage and strength as feminine. We see the idea of feminism revealing the new idealized version of women, which calls out the independence and power women have.
This exhibit will reveal the timeline of what artists viewed as feminine during the years, and will be displayed through images young ladies and adult women.
In the Meadow
Auguste Renoir
1888-92
Oil on canvas
32 x 25 ¾ in. (81.3 x 65.4 cm)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This painting represents the idealized version of youthful innocence. Femininity portrayed by children reveals the beauty of youth and not being exposed to the harsh realities of life. They are wearing pastel colored dresses with their hair both tied with ribbon. They are surrounded by the absolute beauty of nature, delightfully picking flowers as their shared activity. It reveals the beauty of being able to not stress about the worries of the world outside of this meadow. These figures are also pictured in another Renoir painting titled Two Young Girls at the Piano.
The Echo
Julia Margaret Cameron
1868
27.1 x 22.7 cm (10 11/16 x 8 15/16 in.)
The J. Paul Getty Museum
This print is a representation of the mythological creature, Echo. Echo is the nymph of Mount Helicon and attendant of the goddess Hera. This nymph was a fan of random chatter and entertained Hera while Zeus spent time with other nymphs. This led to Hera getting mad than cursing Echo to only repeat the words of others. Echo later became infatuated with Narcissus. The picture is of a girl named Hatty Campbell and is seen as the representation of virginal womanhood. She is seen to possess Pre-Raphaelite feminine beauty.
The Birth of Venus
Alexandre Cabanel
1875
Oil on canvas
41 ¾ x 71 ⅞ in. (106 x 182.6 cm)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This painting created a sensation when it was presented at the Salon in the 1800s. It was a popular buy for collectors, even if it was questioned by other artists. The original Salon picture was purchased by Napoleon III. Venus displays one of the more idealized versions of feminine beauty and other paintings of reclining women often copy or are inspired by her character and shape. There have been many versions of Venus painted, and this specific piece has been loved and cherished for many years. She is the epitome of feminine beauty.
Evening Dress and Hoop
Jeanne Lanvin
1927
Silk: Costume and Accessory
Cincinnati Art Museum
This dress represents Lanvin’s idea that “women are meant to wear clothes of unabashed femininity.” She offers a feminine alternative, with the hoop skirt, rather than the slim, long skirt. The color is one of the main attractions to the dress, and Lanvin created her own dye, in order to achieve the feminine colors she wanted. The taffefa is named as one of her “robes de style” featuring the flower as a motif. Overall, this dress would have been a new attractive fashion to women in the 20s, which went against the classic narrow gown.
Evening Dress
Jacques Fath
Spring/Summer 1947
Cellulose acetate
Metropolitan Museum of Art: not on display
This is the opposite of the hoop dress, in the way it flows to the floor with its narrow shape. The focus on this piece is the corset, which is to cinch the waist and project the bosom. Women had the idealized body through the tight waist. The structure almost resembles a modernist building with the height and structure (except for the laced up back). This 1940s and 1950s dress brings back the historical femininity perspective with the style and hue.
Naranja (Orange)
Paulette Franceries Galo
2017
Acrylic on board
15.25 x 20 in
Inter-American Development Bank
The color in the background, as well as the title, of this piece represents energy and warmth that relates to women’s female power. She has broad shoulders and a stern face, to also represent strength and slight attitude. With this modernist painting, rather than focusing solely on the physical attributes of femininity, Galo brings forth the internal strength that women have. Galo’s artwork reclaims makeup as a tool of self-expression and choice, rather than used to only enhance physical beauty.
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