Depictions and Experiences of Women in Western Art History

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Art has been part and parcel of many societies and communities around the globe since time immemorial. Through art, individuals have showcased their appreciation and dissatisfaction with various matters and concerns around them. Painters, for instance, use their paintings instead of artists and have learned that they can be able to communicate effectively with their audience without using any words using their sculptors and paintings. While artists have for ages covered a wide range of issues, one notable theme that has withstood the test of time has been their depiction of women as victims of abuse and discrimination in the community. The artistic portrayal of women has also undergone significant transformation through the years, as witnessed in the works of artists such as Jacque-Louis David in the Intervention of the Sabine Women, Pablo Picasso with Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, Mary Cassatt, In the Loge and the Guerilla Girls with Do women have to be naked to enter the Met. It is vital to examine the shifting depictions and experiences of women in Western Art history.

Comparison and Contrast in the Depiction of Women by Jacques-Louis David and Pablo Picasso

Jacques-Louis David was a French painter who is renowned for his neoclassical style and the painting of the Intervention of the Sabine Women in 1799. The painting followed up the unfortunate incident where the founding generation of Rome abducted and sexually abused the Sabine women. It is estimated that Rome was founded around the mid-8th century BC and was predominated by men. The city had very few women and who would be incapable of sustaining its population. As such, the legendary founder Romulus ordered the abduction of the Sabine women. The actions greatly angered and outraged the neighboring communities who engaged the Romans in conquest, where they were utterly defeated. With many lives lost, the Sabine Women eventually intervened to end the bloodshed. David's painting, therefore, depicts the abducted Sabine women coming in between the warring parties and even putting their children on the line (Louvre.fr, 2020). Using the painting, David purported to indicate and highlight that women are the epitome of love in society and would do anything, including sacrificing their lives and their children to ensure peace prevails. While women were merely seen as sexual objects for recreational purposes during that period, David managed to show as being empathetic and put their differences aside to foster peace and tranquility in the community. David also highlighted that contrary to the belief during that period; women were also fearless.

On the other hand, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is renowned for his efforts in the Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907 that depicted five naked protagonists in a brothel. The painting banished all pictorial conventions, and all idealized notions of beauty were jettisoned. The women in the painting appeared in disjointed body shapes, and none of the figures was conventionally feminine (The Museum of Modern Art, 2020). One of the major themes of the painting by Picasso was to highlight the issue of prostitution that was quite rampant in the early 20th century. For years, wome...