The Masculinization of Virtue: Athena as Depicted Throughout History

Athena, the Greek goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, has been an object of many artists throughout history. 

Athena was without a mother, emerging full-grown from Zeus’s head. She quickly became his favorite child. She was never married or mother to any children in her mythological history, and virginity was attributed to her as a virtue. Athena is contrasted with Ares, the Greek god of war, in that she is the goddess of strategic warfare, while Ares represents a fiercer, primitive blood lust. She is intellectually and morally superior to Ares, representing strategy, justice, and skill. Her superiority reversed the gender roles of Greek culture. 

Originally in the Iliad and throughout history, Athena is associated with the archetypal heroic ideal. She embodied justice, reason, and rationale. Her association with more “masculine” traits as ideals of the time and her celibate status meant she did not experience the sexualization other goddesses often did. As a result, Athena was often depicted in full armor and with more masculine features. 

In her earliest form, she was primarily depicted for ceremonial purposes (i.e., altar statues and inclusions in temples). Into the medieval period, and later the Renaissance, she would be represented as a virtuous representation for Reason or as part of an elevation and interest in classical Greek culture. In each era, the person of Athena remained, but the differences or reinterpretations of her image display the focus of that particular point in history. Further, her depictions in a more masculine and modest sense contrasted with the sexualization and vulnerability of portrayals of the other goddesses. While she reversed patriarchal norms by being elevated above Ares, she did so by conforming to the masculine ideal of rationality, self-restraint, and justice. 

In the following pieces, note how Athena is depicted consistently with more “masculine” traits, or more modestly, than her fellow goddesses. While subverting gender roles, does her representation also fulfill them by equating her power and virtue with masculinity and ignoring her femininity?

Unknown

Bronze statuette of Athena flying her owl

460 B.C.E.

Medium: Bronze

50.1.1

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

This small bronze statue of Athena holding an owl from the Archaic Greek period stands 16 inches high. The owl symbolizes wisdom and foresight in ancient Greece and thus was often associated with Athena. Further, her position as goddess of war is represented through the Phrygian-type helmet on top of her head, worn primarily by male Greek soldiers. Her strong contrapposto stance with the outstretched arm is reminiscent of other Greek (male) military leaders.

Unknown

Wall Fragment with the Judgement of Paris

45-79 C.E.

Medium: Fresco (plaster and pigment)

Naples National Archaeological Museum, Naples, Italy

This Roman fresco from the House of Jupiter in Pompeii depicts the mythological story of the Judgement of Paris, where Paris was forced to decide who was the most beautiful woman out of (pictured left to right) Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena. Here, we can identify Athena by her iconic helmet and shield with the face of Medusa. In addition, Athena is depicted with traditionally masculine garb, as compared to the nude Aphrodite and Hera, wearing a feminine dress and crown. Despite this, she is still subject to the critique and comparison of her beauty to her fellow goddesses, something that never would’ve occurred between the male gods.

Unknown

The Hope Athena

2nd century C.E.

Medium: Marble

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA

This statue of Athena, created in the 2nd century C.E., is a Roman copy of a Greek original, likely of the 5th century B.C. Standing slightly larger than life, the Greek goddess is easily identifiable by her snake-fringed collar surrounding the decapitated head of Medusa, whom she killed. The military helmet atop her head also identifies her as the goddess of war. She would’ve stood taller than the viewer, and so her eye contact looking down, would’ve been directed towards the viewer in a position of superiority. 

Hendrick Goltzius, Jan Saenredam

Pallas Athena

1595

Medium: Engraving, Print

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

This print of Athena from the 14th century is easily recognizable with the owl in the top right corner, the military helmet, the shield with Medusa’s face, and a recreation of it as a pendant on her chest. Her bare breasts are exposed between a military-style toga, typically worn by males. Her muscular arm rests on her shield. Her exposed breasts can be interpreted as the exposed chest of a male military official wearing the same garb, especially considering her arms and shoulders are built with a masculine structure. While she is a woman, her breasts being exposed isn’t sexual the way it is for other women because she is doing it in a masculine context.

Jacopo e Domenico Tintoretto

Pallas Athena drives away Mars

1576

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Doge’s Palace, Venice, Italy

In this oil painting, Athena is driving away Mars (Ares) from Peace and Abundance. Here, she is identifiable by the armor on her shoulders and thighs. Interestingly, this time her armor is not fashioned for males but personalized for her (we can see the difference between her armor and Mars’). This reveals her feminine figure in contrast with Mars. Athena protecting Peace and Abundance alludes to her virtuous rationality. While Mars desires blood and chaos amidst war, Athena is rational in her war tactics and strives for peace.

Pietro Benvenuti

Hercules at the Crossroads

1817-1819

Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy

This painting depicts the mythological story of Hercules at the Crossroads between vice and virtue. It later became a popular motif in Western art. This painting portrays virtue as Athena with her military helmet, shield, and breastplate. Notice how all the characters in this painting are displayed in the nude, except Athena. Here, her modesty is correlated with her virtuous nature. Vice being portrayed in the nude, along with her entourage, is associated with her lust and blinding passion. While Hercules in the nude represents the heroic nude, he is an important, identifiable figure, and his lack of covering expresses this. He is not subject to the voyeuristic gaze implied on the women.