Visual Analysis of Rubens’ The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus” and Its Cultural Indications of Masculinity

Holloway, Enejor Art Appreciation- James November 2012 Visual Analysis 13. 9 Peter Paul Rubens The abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus is a European painting, involving sexual erotica and cultural indication of masculinity and femininity. The painting’s imagery consists of blue skies, shimmering and a variety of textures to add to the rich surface and the sensual color harmonies. All figures are placed in a diamond shape, suggesting ongoing movement. On the left, dark tones act as a foil to the lighter areas in the center.

Textures such as armor, satin, flesh, and hair, are all painted in a significant way. The painting specifies what was considered masculine and feminine in Flanders, 1617, and the type of roles women and men played, which is where the texture and elements of the painting become important because of the way the women is painted in the piece, she is displayed as voluptuous, soft and fleshy looking which was considered sexually attractive and a sign of health and wealth.

The statement: The battle of the sexes is a necessity of nature, is a statement of symbolism associated with this painting The women were a lot more pale than the men of this time hinting that they probably stayed indoors and the men on the other hand who mainly participated in outdoor activity were darker skinned, also muscular. The painting illustrates, through the figure’s positioning, that women learned to be helpless, which is why in the painting they are sort of throwing their arms up in a surrendering manner, not really showing much resistance to them men who display expressions of determination and unemotional. 3. 10 Jacques-Louis David Oath of the Horatii is a painting, created in France 1784, that represents and expresses early history of ancient Rome in which three brothers vow to represent the Roman Army, Their duty and vow to the army characterizes qualities of courage and patriotism, which in early ancient Rome, and early history as whole, was a necessity of a man’s life. The architecture and classical elements form the neoclassicism which was a evival of Greek and Roman aesthetics and is associated with masculinity and revolution On the other hand their sister’s and wives are to the right of the painting are slumped down in sorrow of the expectance of death that comes with war. This painting expresses that heroic actions were a mark of masculinity, reinforced by the women’s passivity. The masculinity in this painting is shown by the moment of male bonding, in the face of danger as the three brothers come together, under the grace of their father’s set patriotic virtues for them, willing to for others.

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The brother’s look up at the swords as there are looking at their job, their obligation and honor as the women’s obligation and duty is concerning of the children. Both of these paintings reflect the reality of gender roles played in a specified time setting, the authors reveal the roles in a natural subtle way that cultures of Europe and ancient Rome believe in, in which the figures in the paintings illustrate a story of masculinity and femininity by advertising their both gender’s behavior and way of being towards each other and customs of society.

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