Art in Context: Gentileschi and Goya

Fransisco Goya - La Maja Dresnuda

La Maja Desnuda on the surface looks like a typical female nude painting. But why is there a clothed version?

When I started to dig further and find out that the clothed version was a decoy for the nude version my mind was blown. Imagine what kind of society would mean you were hiding these paintings. The nature of the painting is a little different to the classic ‘venus’ pose. This woman's body language is much more open to her viewer and there is also a hint of pubic hair, which at the time was quite shocking. This was not a painting of a religious nature. This was a commission of a secret admirer. Maja means lower class Spaniard which indicates she was possibly a prostitute or even a chambermaid. The clothed version was used to hide the nude version which suggests both were hung in public areas for a time and used as a sort of entertainment or thrill.

I don’t know a lot about the Spanish Inquisition but I do know they seeked religious purity and fought heresy. They were active around the time of this painting, 1800. Anything that was questionable to the Catholic faith was under scruntiny. This painting was no exception, the Spanish Prime Minster's secret room of nude paintings was discovered. Poor Goya probably wanted to make a bit of money doing this one off piece for a wealthy man, as I have not found evidence that he painted any more nudes, and he ends up infront of a tribunal asking for his intentions.

This painting was made with the intention of concealment. A painting that many men probably objectified behind closed doors for a good few years. Away from the prying eyes of the Inquisition. A time of inequality. 

Artemisia Gentileschi - Susanna and the Elders

The context of Susanna and the Elders becomes clear when I found out it was a reaction by Artemisia after the event of her rape. The title comes from the Book of Daniel, a religious story with similar themes. A young woman left vulnerable while washing outside when two men threaten to claim she was meeting a young man if she did not have sex with them. This painting is so powerful. I didn’t know the story behind the title but the title alone makes you feel uncomfortable. Especially as she is only 17 years old.

She is basically pointing out the truth through this painting. At the end of the story the young girl is found to be telling the truth. She was not punished like Artemisia. This painting makes me feel sad for her. The time she lived in where man was god.

I love her later work such as Judith slays Holorneferness , where she turns the tables on the men in her paintings. She is mentally punishing Tassi for what he was done by torturing him in these images.

Her work is so powerful, to me she is standing above all the male painters at that time. A female painting herself is in itself powerful, the strength to be truthful about your own body. No room or reason for idealisation. I didn't realise the scene in this painting would be so personal to Artemisia until I found out more about the religious story and her life intertwining. I'm glad that I was introduced to this strong female artist.

Looking at these paintings has shifted my perception of nude paintings as a whole. You look at these in a museum and books and don't really think about whats going on around them. It has made me think about how I view art, especially in movements centuries ago when Art was a major tool in social status and also a war between the sexes. It will really makes me think about the circumstances of the artist and the environment they work in.

(I have also written a post on all the research/information I needed to put these paintings into context)