Throughout the long history of mankind, the female image worried painters and became for them a true source of inspiration. Singing in their works the tenderness, beauty, unsolved mystery of the fair half, the creators preferred a subjective attitude. For example, Picasso, the famous founder of Cubism, said that he was painting not a woman, but a painting.
The art of primitive society and ancient Egypt
We will not take into account the primitive art of primitive society. On the found cave paintings, the woman appeared burly, with overweight forms. The obvious was the desire to convey primarily its main purpose - motherhood.
The women whom the men of Ancient Egypt admired in the visual arts were graceful beauties with fair skin that was not scorched by the sun.
Middle Ages and the sinfulness of women
In the Middle Ages, women were associated with sin, and the use of cosmetics was denounced by church laws.
The paintings of women of the early Middle Ages are similar to each other: they depict almost ethereal creatures with transparent skin, large eyes, a high forehead, hair on which was shaved to match the standards of beauty of that time. The ladies head was necessarily covered, because only the husband could contemplate his wife with her braids loose.
The ideals of beauty of the Renaissance
But in the Renaissance, the beauty of the body of the fair sex is already glorified. It is no coincidence that the paintings of Madonna women turn into ordinary portraits of women of the era.
Raphael’s famous painting “Sistine Madonna” is a reflection of his beloved Fornarina, with whom the artist lived for 12 years. The ingenious painter considered her the ideal of beauty and endowed the beloved face of his beloved with other works in which he praised the women of the Renaissance.
The epochs of baroque and rococo
One era is replaced by another - Baroque, which dates back to the reign of the French "sun king". The curvaceous was emphasized by a narrow waist in tight corsets. Famous paintings of women of the XVI-XVII centuries seem to say that naturalness is no longer held in high esteem, but it is replaced by theatricality and stylization.
The ceremonial appearance is emphasized by elaborate clothes, and huge collars of costumes and mandatory wigs among noble beauties become the main attributes of the era.
In the days of rococo, when shyness and modesty caused ridicule, theatricality reaches its climax. Women make-up on their faces so that their appearance becomes a puppet. The petticoats are decorated in every possible way, stockings come into fashion, and the female breasts peep out from the deep neckline.
Naturalness is back in fashion
In the Enlightenment , naturalness is again in fashion. A huge number of blush and white, high wigs, stylized costumes with corsets go into oblivion.
The images of the graces of the romantic era were distinguished by spiritual faces. Dark-haired slender young ladies with wet eyes, carried away into the world of dreams, became the standard of beauty at that time.
Considering the paintings of women by Bryullov, an artist who worked at the beginning of the 19th century, one can catch the romantic aspirations of a master who masterfully paints the painting technique. In each work, one can clearly feel the admiration and admiration for the dreamy sitters.
Modern women: paintings (photo)
In modern painting there is no clear standard of beauty. All female images are beautiful and multifaceted. And some artists create stunning and realistic paintings of beautiful women.
When people look at the works of Mary Jane Ansell, it remains a mystery to everyone how to convey the wonderful images of the heroines, breathing life into each of them. Connoisseurs of contemporary art are shocked by her paintings, and it seems to many that this is not a skillfully executed artistic canvas, but a real photograph of a contemporary lover.
Each work of art that evokes special feelings among the audience is the embodiment of the artist’s soul, and the magic of famous paintings created several centuries ago captivates contemporaries to this day.