Randy-discussion post #1

​For my first lead in class discussion, Bridget and I discussed the reading surrounding the different aspects of female art in renaissance Italy portraits and literature. The text focuses on three authors and their spectrum of understanding and interpreting the beauty standards of women of the time. The ideal being long golden hair, pale skin with rosy blush and lips, and of course nude portraiture. What surprised me about this is the specific focus on how a nude women’s body was idealized and how the standards have shifted today. The image of a women with more fat surrounding her torso and legs, and no indication of bones protruding from the skin was the image of perfection for these artists and can be seen in art we experienced in Florence like Venus in Primavera. 

The texts encompassed the theme of male versus female gaze in paintings, giving several examples of the different extremes. With this idea we were introduced to three authors on a spectrum of how intense they express their sexual desires for these women. 

Overall this text was very interesting to me as a possible art history major, and expanded my knowledge of beauty standards, and the different reactions to female subjects of the time.