posted by sooyup
This is the Carracci painting I referred to yesterday (strictly speaking it’s a detail thereof). It’s typical of its genre. Does anyone, I wonder, still think that painting such scenes from classical mythology was anything other than a means of lending respectability to the depiction of naked women? Admittedly, the educated aristocrats were more familiar with the gods and goddesses of the ancient Greek and Romans than we are today. But did being force-fed Graeco-Roman mythology at school really lead to the life-long love of the classics which their art collections might suggest? I doubt it. And I doubt if any client ever said, “It’s very nice, Giorgione, but can you do me one with a bit less tit?” Nowadays, we may need less contrived excuses for portraying naked women. But that doesn’t mean we are fully liberated. To be acceptable for public display, it seems we still choose to adhere mainly to the classical pose (or resort to exotic lighting). Thank goodness for porn.
This is the Carracci painting I referred to yesterday (strictly speaking it’s a detail thereof). It’s typical of its genre. Does anyone, I wonder, still think that painting such scenes from classical mythology was anything other than a means of lending respectability to the depiction of naked women? Admittedly, the educated aristocrats were more familiar with the gods and goddesses of the ancient Greek and Romans than we are today. But did being force-fed Graeco-Roman mythology at school really lead to the life-long love of the classics which their art collections might suggest? I doubt it. And I doubt if any client ever said, “It’s very nice, Giorgione, but can you do me one with a bit less tit?” Nowadays, we may need less contrived excuses for portraying naked women. But that doesn’t mean we are fully liberated. To be acceptable for public display, it seems we still choose to adhere mainly to the classical pose (or resort to exotic lighting). Thank goodness for porn.
