Renaissance Influence On Women

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Although Renaissance portraitists were often emphasizing the admirable attributes of their subjects and not completely altering their patrons image, unrealistic expectations were still set that idealized the woman with no flaws. As the Renaissance continued to gain momentum throughout Europe, though, “Ideal beauty could not simply be copied from a single exemplar found in the natural world. Instead, ‘excellent parts should all be selected from the most beautiful bodies.’” (Corry 580). Artists such as Raphael believed it was close to impossible to find a beautiful woman in the world, so instead of using natural characteristics that were viewed as beautiful, he would paint what he imagined as beautiful (Haughton 232). He would therefore take…show more content…
Instead, they were eliminating all flaws and creating a female figure that could be viewed as perfect in all aspects. This kind of woman could not be found in reality, yet because of these expectations, women were encouraged to strive for an ultimately unattainable human figure. Unexpected of the Renaissance is that men were actually much more affected by unrealistic physical expectations than women were. Male nudes outnumbered female nudes in almost all of the art periods, specifically the Renaissance (O’Kelly 143). Michelangelo’s fresco “The Creation of Adam” on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted in 1511-1512, fairly early in the Renaissance period. The image of Adam in this fresco had come to be known as the perfect human and presented the idealized male body, full of youth and masculinity. Michelangelo is famously known for using highly muscular male models for the figures that he painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, representing his homosexuality and attraction for the masculine…show more content…
Body image is very central to our society and culture today and artists continue to depict the human body in ways that are unrealistic. Artists highlight characteristics of their subjects that are viewed to be attractive in order to create a sexualized image that will appeal to the viewers. With current technology such as photo shop it has become increasingly easy to present the human body in ways that are actually impossible to attain. Yet, men and women today are expected to live up to these images and when they cannot, they are insulted and scorned for not being beautiful. Modern magazines are often criticized for portraying models that are too thin or who have been enhanced in some way or another using technology like photo shop. Just like Boticelli’s Venus, the image of beauty that people strive for today is unrealistic and unfair to expect of society. Many young people have been driven to have anorexia and low self-esteem due to these impractical expectations, yet “there seems to be an innate desire to depict and look at idealized and unattainable features and bodies.” (Haughton 233). The “rebirth” or Renaissance that initially began its roots in Florence, Italy had a lasting impact on Italy, Europe, and even the world as a whole. This was a time of great advancement

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