Art is a reflection of our ever-changing reality. The representation may be indirect at times, as artists often use their imagination based on cultural contexts and the artist’s perspectives. Still, it certainly holds a mirror to the actualities of the time. But what if that reality is a lopsided view, seen through the prism of narrow lenses? The portrayal of women in art proves to be the best example of this imbalance. Female physical ideals, an ever-shifting construct, have been documented in art through the centuries. But regardless of which corner of the world they came from, these artworks were exclusively made by men who historically set down a pattern to embody the beauty ideals of the time.
EXAGGERATED IDEALS
Early art had curvy women. They were not just voluptuous, but their reproductive organs were extremely exaggerated. For instance, the Venus of Hohle Fels is known to be the oldest representation of a human ever discovered. With no feet or face, she had very prominent breasts and a whole load of belly fat. The Venus of Willendorf, made 14,000 years later, also possessed the same attributes- protruding breasts, wide hips, and folds of fat around the stomach. What remains a mystery till today is that although these Venus figurines, discovered in multitudes from across Europe and Asia, were made with unbelievable time gaps - they still looked alike! Was this the ideal standard prescribed for women then? Were they perhaps Paleolithic pin-ups? Did the objectification of women start 40,000 years ago? Were they fertility figures or pornographic material for the male? Researchers may not have any definite answers but one thing is certain - the women were all depicted as obese.
CHISELLED ATTRIBUTES
Most of us have stared hard at the beauty of the sculptures of women from ancient Greece chiselled to perfection - a clear shift in the portrayal of women after centuries of inflated body parts. Chubby women were a definite no-no. Body ideals changed drastically; the face was gentler, the buttocks were rounder, and the hair was long and wavy. Body hair was considered to be unhygienic, perhaps due to problems like infestation by parasites. Sculptures of naked women were quite rare in Ancient Greece. Jewellery and clothing were given the status of female virtue. Only a woman of questionable morality was depicted as nude. The men, of course, had no issues with nudity, and most male sculptures stood unclothed, proudly flaunting their sculpted bodies. One of the first female nude forms in Greek art was the Aphrodite of Knidos, the goddess of love, from the 4th century BC. When the sculptor Praxiteles offered it to the city of Cos, so disgusted were they at her nakedness that they rejected her instantly. But, the people of Knidos to whom it was offered later, not only accepted her, but turned her into a celebrity when she went on public display. In a society where women barely even stepped out, one can only imagine the shock she created with her exposed breasts and curves. The long tradition of female nudes in Western art owes much to this bold portrayal.
THE BOOK ON THE SHELF
The later periods too were quite stringent when it came to the aesthetic standards for a woman. In Western art, during the Renaissance period, white skin became very fashionable. And no, it wasn’t all white. Rosy cheeks and hints of pink were essential to proclaim her demure, almost virgin-like innocence. The perfect woman had long, wavy blonde hair, dark brown eyes, and an exceptionally high forehead. Thinness wasn’t desirable at all, and flesh had to be abundantly distributed, especially on arms, legs, hips, and stomach! The means to achieve these desired attributes, of course, had deleterious effects on the woman’s health. Imagine dropping ink in the eye to change the colour of the iris or eating fatty foods to look curvaceous! Unfortunately, being beautiful was a woman’s marital duty. In art, she was always a passive object of desire for the male gaze and did nothing but look out of the canvas, waiting for affirmation. Almost like a book on the shelf!
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE MODERN WOMAN
The representation of women in art has evolved over time. This evolution happened because contemporary women artists have come to the fore to change stereotypical narratives. Artist Jenny Saville is well known for her huge paintings of the female body.
Her women are fleshy too, but unlike the male portrayals in history, her women do not hide their scars or distortions. The artist ripped apart the concept of the perfect female body by presenting it not as a voyeur but as a woman’s vision of reality. Despite having to face fierce critical opinions, she courageously took on the male-dominated genre of female nudes and presented real women, devoid of the pressure of conforming to prescribed beauty ideals. With several women taking to art, the objectification of women in art has definitely been counterbalanced. As French psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray stated, “If we continue to speak in this sameness, speak as men have spoken for centuries, we will fail each other.”
On this International Women’s Day, let us hope to wake up to a world where real women are celebrated, where imperfections become perfections, and women are not judged by their skin but by what they stand for. May her smile be the only standard of beauty needed to make the world a better place!