Narcissism in Art

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Rokeby Venus

-also known as, Venus at her Mirror, or Venus and Cupid

By Diego Velasquez (1657-1651)

Rokeby Venus, otherwise known as Venus at her Mirror, was painted by Diego Velasquez between 1647 and 1651. In the painting, Velasquez depicts Venus sensuously as she lies comfortably nude while staring at her reflection in a mirror that her son Cupid (the God of physical love) is holding. The painting conveys sensuality not only through Venus’ nudity, but more importantly, the curve in her back, in her waist and the protrusion of her hips and bottom. Cupid’s head is tilted to the right which is a subconscious mannerism people use when they are admiring something. Cupid’s stance further reinforces the idea of admiration toward Venus. This head tilt is also seen in Caravaggio’s painting, “Narcissus.”

Historically, Europe experienced renaissance humanism: “an intellectual movement based on the study of the classics, the literary works of Greece and Rome” (Duiker 351). Naturalism was also a main ideal during the Renaissance era, it was the idea that a human can reach physical perfection similar to Rokeby Venus (Duiker 352). Velasquez was a leading artist during the Spanish Golden Age when Spain experienced a flourishing of art and literature. With human progress came more daring pieces of art. The Venus is the last female nude of Velasquez’s collection because nude paintings were not prevalent in Spanish art during the 17^th century. Perhaps the concept of narcissism in art started to change from a tendency in all human beings to a tendency found more apparently in women. This notion is supported by more modern pieces such as “Girl in the Mirror” by Picasso. While narcissism has been depicted throughout history, the depiction seems to focus more on women than men as history progresses.

Duiker, William J. and Jackson J. Spielvogel. World History ed. 5th. United States: Thomas Wadsworth, 2007. 351-2.

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No matter what time period, people have always been obsessed with themselves. People feel a connection with others when they feel that others care about how they look, what they are doing, and how they feel. In the past, when forms of communication were more limited, artists and writers portrayed the human tendency of narcissism through paintings, sculptures, and literature. As art has progressed women have been portrayed as narcissistic. These pieces of art connect to the history of each time period: independence from the Catholic Church, naturalism and humanism during the Renaissance era, post-World War I obstacles, Manifest Destiny in the United States, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and feminist movements of the 1960s. The worst part is often times, people are not aware they are being narcissistic.

As art and time has progressed the view of narcissism has evolved towards women. As seen in The Feminine Mystique, written by Betty Friedman in 1963, women have always been inferior to men (Duiker 801). Because of this setback women were viewed as more concerned with their outward appearance instead of their innate ability to influence society. Because of this there has been a change in the perspective of women as seen in Diego Velasquez' painting Rokeby Venus and Pablo Picasso's A Girl Before a Mirror. This objectification of women as being narcissistic is seen in "The Perception of Female Beauty in Art" by Carly. Contrary to today's perception that women's physical perfection is to be as thin as possible, during the Tang Dynasty in China women were supposed to be "plump and voluptuous" (Carly). The author shows that the interpretation of the ideal women has changed throughout time and varies with each culture similar to "Narcissism in Art."

Avery, the author of "Perceptions of Beauty" argues that the ideal conception of a beautiful person has evolved throughout time similar to the "The Perception of Female Beauty in Art" by Carly Olszewski. In Queen Marie Antoinette by Adolf Ulrich Wertmuller, finished in the 1780s, the author demonstrates materialism of the royal family due to their lavish dress, hairstyle, and way of life. Now not only is body type, shape, and beauty viewed as narcissistic but materialistic items as well. Queen Marie Antoinette is dressed in a extravagant gown with elaborately coiffed hair. Even her children are dressed in decorative clothing. The author also argues that "the daughter [of Marie Antoinette] is looking toward the son for direction" showing the inferiority of women to men during the 18th Century (Avery). As seen, narcissism can be defined by the changes of the outlook of beauty.