Powers of Gender in Artworks
Gender became highly important issue for the modern society. Many discussions were started in attempts to prove one group is better than another at least in some issues like physical power, cognitive functions or ability to run a company. While discussions around this issue became more acute nowadays because of the vindication of the rights of women and other movements, old artworks show the topic goes back generations. There are many works that give men and women direct gender roles; some of them highlight consequences this separation creates. “Powers of Gender” or “Gender Roles and their Influence” would be a good theme for an art exhibition.
Venus and Adonis is a good choice for a centerpiece of such exhibition. The artwork, oil on canvas painted by Tiziano Vecellio around the middle of the 16th century, represents a mythological plot of love between goddess Venus and mortal man Adonis. Tiziano or Titian depicted a scene where the woman tried to talk her beloved man out of hunting. But her attempts were useless; Adonis went hunting and was killed by a wild boar, according to the description given by the J. Paul Getty Museum. The man is a central figure of the painting; Adonis’s face is the first thing most viewers mention when they see the work. His figure is highlighted by the red outfit. Adonis’s eyes shift viewers’ attention to Venus; the naked woman, who tries to hold her partner from an incautious step. Despite she is a goddess, Venus was