The Many Hats Worn by Women Depicted in Artwork

Three different roles can be seen as assigned to women in art-pieces from the 19th century. These roles consist of women being sensual beings, women as a domestic placard, and also: the woman as she relates to nature and fertility. Let's briefly journey through each role, and explore how they intermingle with each other to form the whole view of a woman in that era.

In the depiction Venus Rising from the Sea by Valentine Greene (after James Barry) the female figure is shown swirled in clouds, rising up from water as she reaches upward to hold up her flowing hair. Various forms of life around her include flowers, shells, snails, horses, doves, as well as a cupid likeness. Frances Pohl's textbook, Framing America, notes that in paintings or pictures of women as they relate to nature--the woman can usually be seen painted against a natural landscape, surrounded by fruit, trees, plants, animals, or other signs of life. This seems to hint toward a modern term for all things seasonal and bearing life--mother nature. In such artworks like Venus Rising and Ariadne Sleeping, the central figure is connected to the natural properties displayed within the painting. Venus is ascending from the sea, while Ariadne is lying on sheets or cloths on the grassy plain; one arm positioned above her head.

Ariadne in her 'natural' state, with breasts bared and a small section of sheer cloth hardly covering elsewhere, introduces yet another vision of the role of the women of this time. Although her lack of clothing can be viewed as a representation of being one with nature, it also symbolizes— to a certain extent-- women having sensual and sexual qualities; as perceived by the [male] on-looker. Though it was not unusual at the time to have artists commissioned (and avidly painting) nudes, Ariadne offers an in-depth look into the Romantic time period, since her sleeping in Naxos after Theseus [supposedly] abandoned her would eventually lead to the marriage of her and Dionysus. The emotions evoked by the painting vary from angst and anticipation to disappointment and near distress. The mythical Ariadne mirrored real-life emotions of women in their relationships with men, in that, during this time women were struggling to pursue [their] happiness outside of what was considered 'proper' for a woman; as seen through a man's eyes (i.e. being an artist, or any other labor outside the home).

A painting bearing the title Kiss Me and You'll Kiss the 'Lasses plays more up on the relationship of men and women in the 19th century. It was painted by a woman who endured the very battle to achieve balance that Ariadne Sleeping depicted. Lilly Martin Spencer was an artist attempting to make a name for herself while simultaneously relenting herself to the domestic responsibility of providing for herself, her seven living (out of thirteen) children, as well as her husband. In Spencer's painting, a woman, smiling suggestively to her onlooker, spoons a dripping ladle of molasses, with several indications of fruitfulness surrounding her. The title invites the viewer to lip-lock with her and savor what she is cooking up. Which is not only a show of her domestic virtue, but also: her sensuality as a feminine being. The woman in the painting is in a food-preparation setting flanked by various bowls and baskets full of fruits and vegetables. In ancient times, when a woman was depicted in line with food, it was indicative of fertility; just as fertile land is tilled and tended to, to bring forth consumables.

Further evidence of women taking on a less dominant in-home figure can be seen in Spencer's painting, Fi! Fo! Fum!; where a father is telling an animated story (of Jack and the Beanstalk) to his two young daughters as their mother looks on— placed at the very back of the painting. This shows how traditional gender roles were undergoing a transformation, in the sense, that fathers were becoming more involved in the everyday family life while women were (also) exploring work options outside of the home.

In conclusion, all of the aforementioned depictions feature some aspect of the mother, the nude, and the cook. Each of these titles were definitive to how women were portrayed through art in the 1800's, and although each stands alone, they also intertwine. The role of the woman was an individual that wore many hats, endured unnerving transformations and transitions; yet still remained alluring, and poised.

References

"Ariadne." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2010. Encyclopedia Mythica Online.
25 Oct. 2010 <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/ariadne.html>.

Calvin Tewell, Camille, and Leisa Rundquist. "Venus Rising from the Sea, 1772." Reason & Fantasy in an age of enlightenment. Ackland, n.d. Web. 1 Nov 2010. <http://www.ackland.org/art/exhibitions/reasonfantasy/ctewell2.htm>.

Lamb, Suzay. "Lilly Martin Spencer (1822 – 1902)." American Gallery; Greatest American Painters. Wordpress, 04 Apr 2010. Web. 5 Nov 2010. <http://americangallery.wordpress.com/2010/04/04/lilly-martin-spencer-1822-1902/>.

Pohl, Frances. Framing America: A Social History of American Art. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson Inc., 2002. 171-78. Print.